Mel Flanagan

Donald Moriyama Sensei 8th dan Mel Flanagan Sensei

When did you start aikido?

I started in the Honolulu Aikido Club in 1975.

How did you find out about it?

I read the book Dynamic Sphere and I was hooked but I was living in Fairbanks, Alaska, and there was no aiki dojo there.

Who was your first instructor?

Sadao Yoshioka Sensei.

What do you like most about practicing aikido?

Its application to daily life. The philosophy has been very helpful to me in my profession as a judge. It helps me to stay calm and control the stress of the job and tension of the courtroom environment. It helps me to seek harmony and have empathy for victims and offenders and to try to guide people to better paths.

What advice would you give someone who just started aikido?

Don't give up. It can be very demanding and challenging, but also very rewarding if you have patience and determination. It is an art and you will always be learning and evolving as long as you study. Like any art form, you will develop your unique relationship to the medium and continue to grow when you train sincerely.