Aikido for Daily Life is affiliated with Aikido Yuishinkai, which is headed by Koretoshi Maruyama sensei.

The Association was founded in 2004 and is a full member of the British Aikido Board (the UK governing body ); our principal aim, as the name suggests, is to demonstrate the strong link between the philosophy of aikido on the mat, with what we do off the mat. The technique of aikido is so much more that just a martial art and really, it is just a very powerful way of demonstrating a philosophy that can be a real force for good in our daily life.

The fact of the matter is that most of us spend a few hours on the mat each week at best, and really what we do there should just be a stimulus for the real practice, which is what we do off it, all the rest of the time.
The founding clubs have a strong background in Ki Aikido, but we believe passionately in practising with other styles and encourage our members to go on courses run outside of the Association as well as on occasion working closely with other clubs and teachers outside of ADL. This has proved to be a hugely positive experience and has provided a great stimulus for our development.

Our structure is deliberately flat, with no one focal point to say what is right and wrong. We run democratically with every member having a vote and a say in how we are run and what changes need to be made. All members are encouraged to speak their mind. The result has been almost no politics and a spirit of camaraderie amongst the member clubs, leaving us all to concentrate our energies on what really matters, practicing aikido and enjoying our lives.