The Abundant Peace Aikido & Tai Chi School

Calling all Mothers and Daughters ...

Introducing a new program called Kind Power.

Based on Aikido principles, this class will teach mothers and daughters how to be more confident and coordinated, set and manage boundaries and interact more confidently with others.

The class will use aikido movement forms and somatic education - body-based learning.

This Kind Power Families class invites mothers and daughters to participate together to develop your personal power - a power borne out of kindness.

Kind Power Families is for families who want to see their daughters become:

Secure, grounded and confident in their bodies

Comfortable speaking and interacting with others

Able to act with kindness to positively impact their world

You can learn more here:

Look for Kind Power Families

Group Classes — Kind Power Do you know what you need now to nurture your vitality, so you can bounce back? How have you up-levelled your self-care for this stage of life?

Helping Today’s Distracted Generation ....

Helping Today’s Distracted Generation Grow Strong, Confident, and Connected.

Dear Parents,

Have you noticed how many children today struggle with working together - taking turns, encouraging teammates, communicating clearly, or handling both winning and losing with grace?

You’re not imagining it. Social development has become one of the biggest challenges facing today’s kids.

In The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt describes what he calls “The Great Rewiring” of childhood. As playtime has shifted from face‑to‑face adventures to device‑based interactions, many children simply haven’t had the same opportunities to build the social skills that naturally grow from collaborating, problem‑solving, and navigating real‑world play.

That’s why social development can’t be left to chance.

It must be taught intentionally - and it can be taught joyfully.

At Abundant Peace, our Kids Aikido Program uses positive, age‑appropriate challenges that help students grow while also supporting one another.

Every drill, every partner exercise, every team game is designed to transform competition into shared a experience.

Students cheer for one another, celebrate team success, and stay motivated to give their best effort - not because they fear losing, but because they feel connected.

Why it matters:
Our approach builds resilience, sportsmanship, confidence, and stronger social bonds.

When the focus shifts from “winning” to growing and sharing, children learn to trust, communicate, empathize, and cooperate.

They discover that they can be strong and kind, focused and playful, confident and compassionate.

These shared experiences become the foundation for skills they’ll rely on for the rest of their lives - physical, intellectual, emotional, and social.

Martial arts is simply the vehicle; the transformation is the destination.

We’re proud to help today’s distracted generation reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the joy of learning.

And we’d love to welcome your child into this supportive, uplifting community.

Our Summer Special gives your child the opportunity to experience first-hand what Aikido has to offer.

But this special is coming to a close soon, so come in and see why everyone is talking so highly and enthusiastically about what Aikido has done for them.

And give your child the chance to experience the same results and benefits.

Call or email now to offer your child the experiences and skills that will support them for a lifetime!

780-908-1115
[email protected]
https://www.abundantpeace.com/kidsaikido

Yours in Health & Harmony,
Brad

What is Aikido ...

Aikido is a very dynamic, enjoyable martial art that does not foster violent tendencies and reactions.

While learning effective self-defence skills you are also cultivating a clear mind and harmonious spirit.

Physically, Aikido is a complete workout, toning, stretching and exercising the entire body from head-to-toe. Students often comment on a “glowing sense of well-being” after class.

But Aikido also offers much more than self-defence or exercise. It also stimulates the mind-body connection, developing your sense of movement, balance and mental acuity.

Through it's movements and principles, Aikido offers concepts and strategies that can be directly applied for greater enjoyment, harmony and resilience in your daily life.

As you learn the physical art, you will also be developing your ability to remain centered and calm in situations that may have "thrown" you before.

You will cultivate a keen sense of awareness that will serve you both in emergency situations and day-to-day interactions.

If you have not yet come in to try some classes, you can still take advantage of our Summer Special.

Whether you are interested in greater fitness and the confidence that comes from the skill of self-protection or you would like to explore the mind/body integration of this dynamic, yet harmonious internal martial art, called Aikido, you can still take advantage of this opportunity.

For a 2-week Guest Pass call or email now to experience greater energy, fitness and the confidence that Mind/Body integration provides.

780-908-1115
[email protected]
www.abundantpeace.com

A Quote and Guest Pass from Abundant Peace ....

O' Sensei's Wisdom:

"All things, material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization."

Whether you are interested in greater fitness levels and the confidence that comes from the skill of self-protection or you would like to explore the mind/body integration of this dynamic, yet harmonious internal martial art, called Aikido, you can take advantage of this opportunity for a full 2-Weeks of classes!

Our Summer Special gives you the opportunity to experience first-hand what Aikido has to offer you, without charge or obligation.

But this special is coming to a close soon ….. so come in and see why everyone is talking so highly and enthusiastically about what Aikido has done for them.

.. And give yourself the chance to experience the same!

Call or email now to discover greater energy, fitness and the confidence that Mind/Body integration provides.

780-908-1115
[email protected]

Yours in Health & Harmony,

Brad

The Life-Changing Art of Aikido .....

Recently one of our members felt motivated to write a little article on the "Art of Peace", as he has been experiencing it at our school.

And I thought to share it with you as it really does express the true value and benefits of practicing Aikido, which go far beyond just learning a martial art and developing physical fitness.

Please read and enjoy:

The Life Changing Art

In a world where media influences almost every facet of people’s lives, participation in a martial art can be seen as a saving grace by instilling much needed benefits into a population bombarded with outside opinions and influences. Aikido in particular is a wonderful martial art because it has benefits on all levels of a person’s being and doesn’t just target certain areas to develop.

The positive and beneficial aspects of Aikido are many. Not only is it a great physical exercise, strengthening core muscles and increasing flexibility as well as having internal benefits much like yoga practice, but it also has great mental and emotional benefits. These benefits can help everyone in their day to day lives.

Aikido, almost more than any other martial art, can clear your mind of many of the impulses to cause conflict in your life. One of the key principles of aikido is blending. In physical terms, blending means trying not to fight force with force which creates conflict. Mentally speaking, it is much the same.

Trying not to conflict with people during heated conversations can be quite difficult but after even a little bit of time practicing aikido you will find that you naturally ‘blend’ and find non-conflicting solutions to many issues.

Lack of self-confidence is a huge issue felt with almost everyone at some point but is particularly absent from people in the tweens and teens. Many magazines, movies and television programs only show images that sell what they are promoting and people buy into the propaganda.

It is a classic example of an outside influence defining our opinions. One of the mental aspects of any martial art is the increase in self-confidence and aikido is no different. Just because someone doesn’t look like the model on the cover of Vogue doesn’t mean that they can’t be confident in who they are.

On the other end of the spectrum from confidence is ego. Unlike most martial arts, aikido is non-competitive. What that means is that there are no tournaments or competitions to build an individual’s ego up above someone else’s. Instead, aikido is an art of becoming better than yourself and not better than someone else.

Practicing aikido often, all these benefits become yours for the taking and you may not even notice it! But guaranteed those close to you will notice a positive change in you.

Whether you stand up for yourself in a firm yet non-conflicting manner or you find yourself taking less stock in other people’s opinions of you and are more content to be yourself then aikido is doing for you what it has done for so many people before. It really would not be an (exaggeration) to say that Aikido changes lives, and it can change yours.
- Chad Ference

Whether you are interested in greater fitness levels and the confidence that comes from the skill of self-protection, or you would like to explore the mind-body integration of this dynamic, yet harmonious internal martial art, called Aikido, you can take advantage of this opportunity to experience our classes.

Learn the dynamic movements unique to Aikido, while staying fit and active.

You'll learn to:

- Open and stretch the entire body.

- The importance of mind in Mind-Body Arts.

- Develop Mind-Body Integration.

- Build basic and foundational self-defense skills and principles.

- Move with Grace, Coordination and Natural Power!

Give yourself the opportunity for greater health, fitness and well-being by experiencing this dynamic mind-body art.

Call or email today and mention the Summer Special to receive your Guest Pass for 2-weeks of Aikido classes.

What are your interests and concerns?

Do you want a self-defense system not requiring superior strength, size and speed?

Do you like the idea of studying a traditional martial art, yet without the emphasis on aggression or destruction?

Do you want to stimulate and develop your mind as well as your body?

Are you looking for a fun and also practical way to get into shape and stay fit?

Do you need to de-stress and find effective strategies for managing a hectic lifestyle?

Our Summer Special gives you the opportunity to experience first-hand what Aikido has to offer you.

But this Special is coming to a close soon ….. so come and see why everyone is talking so highly and enthusiastically about what Aikido has done for them.

And give yourself the chance to experience the same!

Experience greater energy, fitness and the confidence that mind-body integration provides:

780-908-1115
www.abundantpeace.com

Yours in Health & Harmony,
Brad

Discover the Natural Power and Grace of Your Mind & Body Unified in Action!

The Distracted Generation? ….

Building Attention Through Aikido Training

I wanted to share something important we’ve been focusing on in our Aikido Kids Program - something that’s becoming more essential for children growing up today.

Kids are surrounded by constant stimulation. Notifications, videos, games, and multiple screens compete for their attention every day.

With so much incoming information, many children struggle to slow down, listen carefully, and process what’s happening before reacting.

That’s why we’ve built our classes around a simple but powerful idea: attention isn’t something we should expect. It’s something we need to train.

Our selected games and drills are intentionally designed to challenge listening and observation skills.

Instead of reacting automatically, students learn to pause, think, and respond based on what they’ve actually seen and heard.

This small shift strengthens attention while making class more engaging and fun.

Every drill we use has two purposes:

Teach martial arts and movement skills

Develop the skills today’s children need most

When we train attention intentionally - not just correct inattention - we see remarkable changes. Students become more engaged, make fewer mistakes, and require fewer reminders over time.

It’s one of the most meaningful benefits of Aikido training, and we’re excited to help your child build these lifelong skills.

Our Summer Special gives your child the opportunity to experience first-hand what Aikido has to offer, without charge or obligation.

But this special is coming to a close soon, so come in and see why everyone is talking so highly and enthusiastically about what Aikido has done for them.

And give your child the chance to experience the same results and benefits.

Call or email now to offer your child greater focus, fitness and the confidence that mind-body integration provides!

780-908-1115
[email protected]
https://www.abundantpeace.com/kidsaikido

Yours in Health & Harmony,
Brad

How do I get good at falling? ...

Those of use over 50 face the same life-altering event lurking in the shadows every single day, for the rest of our lives.

And that is - falling.

As you are probably aware, once we are in the second half of our life, a fall has a high possibility of leading to a spiraling down of our health, lifestyle, and autonomy from that point onward.

Given that falling, even multiple falls, is an almost certain eventuality, how can we learn to minimize the potential impact and injuries that can occur? Can we become skillful at falling safely?

How do I get good at falling?

Cheryl Whitelaw is a Feldenkrais practitioner, somatic coach and longtime martial artist. Here is a short video of Cheryl speaking on how we learn to fall:

https://us.list-manage.com/7C2Fv1jrbQd?e=6913710173&c2id=cd3485ddd7ab2f3e050a2db57c27f0ef

Do we have to fall over and over to get good at falling? When you watch skateboarders or gymnasts, that seems to be true.

In this video, I make a case that we can train better reflexes for falling through a different approach, one that doesn’t require you to fall from standing.

We all have a blueprint reflex to falling that is a recipe for injury.

I talk about one of our earliest reflexes, the Moro reflex, that tends to affect what we do as adults when we start to fall. This blueprint reflex creates conditions for greater injury.

In my upcoming Friendly Floor class, we will train safer reflexes so your next falling story has a happy ending. Available online, you can learn a better way to react to falling. 🍃🍃🍃

Register for upcoming class starting in July. Friendly Floor is the one class I offer as a “pay-what-you-can”. So contact me if you want to join and need a personal price to join.

https://www.kindpower.ca/classes

Group Classes — Kind Power Do you know what you need now to nurture your vitality, so you can bounce back? How have you up-levelled your self-care for this stage of life?

Give Your Child the Opportunity to Experience Greater .....

​Aikido helps kids in the "real world"! Its practice provides tools and options for resolving life's daily conflicts.

Determination blended with flexibility affords one with formidable resources to meet life's challenges and attain personal goals.

In Aikido, just as much emphasis is placed on developing the mind and awareness, as developing the body.

Enjoy 2 weeks of unlimited classes and give your child the opportunity to experience greater health, fitness and well-being through this dynamic Internal Martial Art.

Call or email and mention the Summer Special to receive your 2-week Guest Pass!

780-908-1115
[email protected]
www.abundantpeace.com

Yours in Health & Harmony,
Brad

The Essence of Aikido .....

​
"The essence of Aikido is to unite ourselves with the energy of the universe and to follow the dynamic flow of nature." -Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba

What are your interests and concerns?

Do you want a self-defense system not requiring superior strength, size and speed?

Do you like the idea of studying a traditional martial art, yet without the emphasis on aggression or destruction?

Do you want to stimulate and develop your mind as well as your body?

Are you looking for a fun and also practical way to get into shape and stay fit?

Do you need to de-stress and find effective strategies for managing a hectic lifestyle?

Our Summer Special gives you the opportunity to experience first-hand what Aikido has to offer you, without charge or obligation.

But this special is coming to a close soon, so come in and see why everyone is talking so highly and enthusiastically about what Aikido has done for them.

And give yourself the chance to experience the same.

Call or email today and mention the Summer Special to receive 2 weeks of unlimited classes, and give yourself the opportunity to experience greater health, fitness and well-being.

780-908-1115
[email protected]
www.abundantpeace.com

Yours in Health & Harmony,

Brad