AIKIDO means `The Way to Harmony of the Spirit'. Aikido was developed in this century as an art of self defence and spiritual training by Master Morihei Ueshiba. AIKIDO has been called one of the most subtle and sophisticated of the martial arts. A person who studies and practices aikido correctly desires to defend himself without harming his opponent. To achieve and maintain this attitude, one must achieve a very high level of integration of mind and body. AIKIDO is not merely an art of self defence: into its techniques are woven elements of philosophy, psychology and dynamics. It is an effective means of developing, integrating and utilizing all of a person's powers, physical, mental and spiritual. The movements of AIKIDO are circular and flowing. They are designed on the principles of nature and move in circles and spirals, following paths of Ki (universal energy). It is not an art about minimising or avoiding stress. Rather, it is about dealing with everybody, conflicts and crises in such a way as to maintain stability and poise in the midst of challenge. The most unusual aspect of AIKIDO is that it takes as the basis of its philosophy the idea of being in harmony with your opponents, rather than in conflict with them. Accepting the natural way that people's bodies move and energies flow, results in successful AIKIDO. Training helps you learn to maintain mind and body coordination under the stress of rapid movement and coordinated attack. Through daily training, clear insights into the areas of form, motion, attitude, habits, spiritual ideals and human relations develop.