It’s that time of the year again when New Year’s resolutions seem to be harder to pull off then one might think, all the drinking and eating got us some extra weight on our bodies, almost proportionately to the wight our wallets have lost in the last couple of weeks. All those factors, as well as coming down from the NYE high combined with little sun to speak of and a whole lot of chills, can be a toll on our psyche. Winter depression ‘they’ call it (but nowadays, it seems, all seasons have their depression periods).
One new, cheap, easy and healthy thing yo can do, even if you are staying in Zagreb for a couple of days, is trying out Aikido for free. Starting this Friday, January 8th, House of Aikido is giving away a month of free lessons to anyone who wants to try out this modern martial art.
Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as ‘the way of unifying (with) life energy‘ or as ‘the way of harmonious spirit.’ Ueshiba’s goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.
Aikido is as much a meditative art as it it a martial one, focusing on inner peace, so you get to work on your body and mind at the same time. It was popularized in the west by Steven Segal, who is a master of the art, even thought the films he showcased his skills were more damaging to the bad guys then the art is intended to be.
The first training stats this Friday, 7:30 pm, at House of Aikido, Koturaska street 1 (just behind the central train station).
