Lia Suzuki’s Virtual Dojo

About Lia Suzuki’s Virtual Dojo

Weekly reflections on Aikido, movement, and practice—on and off the mat.

Publisher

Lia Suzuki

Category

education · health & fitness · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Dec 2025

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

44 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Why Your Good Habits Stall You Between Shodan and Nidan

   Shodan is the first time Aikido starts to feel possible; nidan is the first time you realize how far there is to go. I got nidan very quickly after shodan, didn't feel I deserved it, and trained so hard trying to catch up that my back went out. In this episode, I talk about what I look for in students between shodan and nidan, why shodan translates to "beginner," and why the next step asks you to stop practicing to perform a technique and start practicing to relate to your partner — which means letting go of your good habits along with your bad ones. 🎁 Free resources 📬 Get a new lesson each week Join my Free Weekly Training Video Newsletter: https://www.lia-suzuki.com/newsletters/2147530761/subscribe (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/newsletters/2147530761/subscribe) 📥 Eliminate inefficient or harmful movement patterns NOW. Body Alignment Checklist for Martial Artists → https://www.lia-suzuki.com/body-alignment-checklist (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/body-alignment-checklist) 📚 Grab my books 📘 The Teacher: https://lia-suzuki.com/book (https://lia-suzuki.com/book) ⚔️ Mastering the Shoto, A Comprehensive Guide for Aikido Enthusiasts: https://lia-suzuki.com/shoto-book (https://lia-suzuki.com/shoto-book) 🔥 AIKIDO TRAINING TOURS 🥋 Train • Travel • Grow 👥 Small-Group Training Experiences 💬 Guidance On & Off the Mat 📅 2027 Schedule 🌸 Cherry Blossom Tour • Kumamoto — March 🇯🇵 Tokyo • Yokohama • Kamakura — May 🇩🇪🇳🇱 Germany + Netherlands — September 👉 Join the Tours Interest List: https://www.lia-suzuki.com/aikido-tours (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/aikido-tours)

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Why Your Aikido Training Starts Before the Bow-In

   In my first Aikido class in Japan back in 1987, I noticed something in the first five minutes that had nothing to do with technique: the senior students were warming up their attention, not just their bodies, and nobody was chatting before bow-in. In this episode, I break down what that quiet actually does, why it changes what you notice once class starts, and the exact routine I still use to prime myself before every class I take or teach — plus what my teacher Takeda Sensei taught me about listening internally before you ever step on the mat. 🎁 Free resources 📬 Get a new lesson each week Join my Free Weekly Training Video Newsletter: https://www.lia-suzuki.com/newsletters/2147530761/subscribe (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/newsletters/2147530761/subscribe) 📥 Eliminate inefficient or harmful movement patterns NOW. Body Alignment Checklist for Martial Artists → https://www.lia-suzuki.com/body-alignment-checklist (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/body-alignment-checklist) 📚 Grab my books 📘 The Teacher: https://lia-suzuki.com/book (https://lia-suzuki.com/book) ⚔️ Mastering the Shoto, A Comprehensive Guide for Aikido Enthusiasts: https://lia-suzuki.com/shoto-book (https://lia-suzuki.com/shoto-book) 🔥 AIKIDO TRAINING TOURS 🥋 Train • Travel • Grow 👥 Small-Group Training Experiences 💬 Guidance On & Off the Mat 📅 2027 Schedule 🌸 Cherry Blossom Tour • Kumamoto — March 🇯🇵 Tokyo • Yokohama • Kamakura — May 🇩🇪🇳🇱 Germany + Netherlands — September 👉 Join the Tours Interest List: https://www.lia-suzuki.com/aikido-tours (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/aikido-tours)

3. 

   29 Sept 2026

   What Aikido Asks of You Beyond Technique

   I've been doing Aikido for about forty-five years, and I've never trained another martial art, so I'm not going to compare it to anything else. What I can tell you is what Aikido has asked of me, and it turns out to be a specific and demanding list. Two students taught me this clearly: one soaked up everything I offered from day one, the other tested me every single night for a year before I saw him really land. In this episode I get into why there's no scoreboard in Aikido, why you can't measure progress by how many people you defeat, and why your partner's well-being isn't an ethical add-on, it's a technical requirement. I also talk about why the cooperation built into training isn't a limitation, it's the entire point, and why the hardest thing there is isn't overcoming someone, it's moving with them. I also get into the qualities Aikido demands beyond skill: patience, sensitivity, the capacity to fail without shutting down. I talk about why ego is a technical problem in Aikido, not just a personality flaw, why you can't hide it in your hands or your timing, and why this is part of what lets people keep training into their sixties, seventies, and eighties. And I'll tell you what one of my students said when a friend at the pub asked him which technique would take over if he ever got in a fight. Thanks for training with me this week. 🎁 Free resources 📬 Get a new lesson each week Join my Free Weekly Training Video Newsletter: https://www.lia-suzuki.com/newsletters/2147530761/subscribe (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/newsletters/2147530761/subscribe) 📥 Eliminate inefficient or harmful movement patterns NOW. Body Alignment Checklist for Martial Artists → https://www.lia-suzuki.com/body-alignment-checklist (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/body-alignment-checklist) 📚 Grab my books 📘 The Teacher: https://lia-suzuki.com/book (https://lia-suzuki.com/book) ⚔️ Mastering the Shoto, A Comprehensive Guide for Aikido Enthusiasts: https://lia-suzuki.com/shoto-book (https://lia-suzuki.com/shoto-book) 🔥 AIKIDO TRAINING TOURS 🥋 Train • Travel • Grow 👥 Small-Group Training Experiences 💬 Guidance On & Off the Mat 📅 2027 Schedule 🌸 Cherry Blossom Tour • Kumamoto — March 🇯🇵 Tokyo • Yokohama • Kamakura — May 🇩🇪🇳🇱 Germany + Netherlands — September 👉 Join the Interest List: https://www.lia-suzuki.com/aikido-tours (https://www.lia-suzuki.com/aikido-tours)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

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