Aiki taiso (aiki exercises), otherwise known as "warm-ups", are employed in the beginning of each class just after "bowing in". Warm-ups are designed to assist the student by warming, stretching, moving, and relaxing into patterns and flows relative to that class's subject.
A constant recurrence of ukemi (body reception), specifically falling & rolling skills, is explored and developed throughout the quarter. These are experienced from the ground up. That is, from sitting and rocking positions the student will eventually be falling, rolling, and standing interchangably. The energetic emphasis of Aikido falling skills is on a controlled dissipation of energy that translates into a graceful beauty.
