I would say aikido has been a major part of my journey of self-development.  I’ve always wanted to do martial arts since I was a kid, but I was too shy and scared to start.  Then I discovered Zen meditation  while visiting Japan as a college student.  I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and Zen helped me open the doors to aikido and my Japanese heritage.  I had no idea what aikido was, nor what it looked like.  I only came across it by reading about it in a Zen book.  I thought, if it was related to zazen, which I became very interested in at the time, didn’t this martial art called aikido seem like the perfect gateway to practicing something I had always dreamed of doing?  That gateway became a path I have been on since the first time I started practicing aikido at the Aikido Center of Los Angeles in 1995.  The first class I saw was the first time I ever saw this martial art.  The fluid circular movements, the etiquette which reminded me of Japan, the tatami mat of the dojo - it all resonated, and I knew I needed to start practicing.  Aikido became something that I wanted to do, not what I could get out of it.  I wanted to train, for the sake of training, to see where I could take my body and mind.  To push myself beyond what I imagined I could do.  Sitting in meditation I had pushed myself physically, spiritually, and mentally.  Aikido took it to the next level where I can see who I really was in relation to another person during practice.  I’ve come to see that training reflects how we relate to the world outside as well and has been an important tool for insight.

Practicing aikido was one of the first steps I took to overcome my fears of learning a martial art, and to apply myself to something I wanted to try.   It has taught me the value of looking beyond the ordinary – a path to awareness which transforms the everyday into something special.  It has given me insight into who I really am, and the potential which lies in everyone.  Now my aspiration is to aid other students on their journey and encourage new students to experience aikido for themselves.  If you have been curious about trying a martial art and challenging yourself, I invite you to come visit our dojo, try aikido, and meet our community.  If you are already on the path, we look forward to seeing you on the mat!

Maria Murakawa has been practicing aikido since 1995.  Her teachers are Reverend Kensho Furuya Sensei with whom she studied under for 12 years until his passing in 2007, and David Ito Sensei, current Chief Instructor of Aikido Center of Los Angeles.  She has been an assistant instructor at the dojo for almost 20 years.  She also assists in the weekly Children’s classes.  Maria holds a 5th degree black belt in Aikido from the Aikikai Foundation – Aikido World Headquarters located in Japan. 

Murakawa Sensei teaches Friday nights at the Terasaki Budokan.
She is also a 200 RYT and teaches the Yoga In The Dojo class