Meet the Aikido Shusekai Instructors
Nick Walker Sensei, 6th Dan, founder and senior instructor of Aikido Shusekai, has been teaching Aikido for three decades. His innovative approach to the art draws upon his training in several Aikido styles and his experience in a number of other disciplines and fields, including yoga, qigong, zen, physical theatre, Somatic Psychology, and Integral Theory.
Nick Sensei holds an M.A. in Somatic Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, where he is currently an adjunct professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies program. He is an educator, author, speaker, and consultant in a number of fields, including somatics, embodiment, diversity, autism, neurodiversity, creativity, conflict resolution, integral practice, and transformative learning.
Nick Sensei has been a core member of the experimental physical theatre group Paratheatrical Research since 1996, and appears in many of the films of indie director Antero Alli, including Crux, Orphans of Delirium, The Greater Circulation, The Invisible Forest, and To Dream of Falling Upwards.
For information about Nick Sensei’s workshops, trainings, presentations, writing, and consulting work, please see his website at walkersensei.com, or contact us. For more on his teaching philosophy and his views on Aikido, see this February 2011 interview.
Azzia Zur Sensei, 1st Dan, is co-owner and dojo manager of Aikido Shusekai. She has been training with Nick Walker Sensei since 2004. Azzia Sensei holds a B.A in Philosophy from U.C. Berkeley and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Women’s Spirituality at California Institute of Integral Studies. She also works as a freelance writer, editor, marketer, and social media expert. In addition to her Aikido training, she is an advanced yoga practitioner, a dancer, and a runner.
Azzia Sensei teaches our Aikido Basics Classes for Women and our Women’s Introduction to Aikido Series, and co-teaches our Children’s Aikido Program. She’s also the brains behind most of the posts you’ll see on the Aikido Shusekai Facebook Page and the Aikido Shusekai Twitter Feed.
Eric Zuckerman Sensei, 2nd Dan, has been training with Nick Walker Sensei since 1996. In addition to his black belt rank in Aikido, he has earned a brown belt (2nd kup) in Tae Kwon Do Chung Do Kwan. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from SUNY Albany, and a Masters of Science in Human Resources Management, with a focus on workplace conflict resolution, from Golden Gate University.
