Aikido Instructor
Iwama Style Aikido
Aikido Instructor
Our Aikido instruction is an extension of our lineage and supplemented through seminars with excellent teachers in the US.
Dojo Affiliation
New York "Still Mind" Aiki Shuren Dojo is a affiliated with Iwama Takemusu Aikikai, a member of Aikikai World Headquarters in Japan. Our lineage meticulously preserves the founder's teaching methods and style as it comes through Morihiro Saito Sensei, one of his two top students with the rare honor to take over the founder's dojo. We are currently supervised by Mark Larson Sensei, who received the highest honors from Saito Sensei. By following the most advanced teachers, our dojo accesses Aikido training at the highest levels.
Steve Kanney
6th Dan - Dojo Cho - training in Aikido since 1978


Steve Kanney is the chief instructor of the New York "Still Mind" Aiki Shuren Dojo located in Westchester NY. He began wrestling in 1972, Aikido in 1978 and Tai Chi in 1999. He had the rare opportunity of attending 30 days of seminars with Morihiro Saito Sensei, the founder's longest live in student (23 years) and one of only two students of the founder to take over his two dojos upon his passing. Steve simultaneously spent 20 years studying day to day with Seiichi Sugano, a direct student (6 years) of the founder in Tokyo before being dispatched to Australia and eventually to the US. Our dojo has the honor of being overseen by Mark Larson Sensei who received the highest certificate in weapons from Saito Sensei. Saito Sensei gave him the name Takuto, meaning preeminent leader of a tradition. Saito Sensei also named Larson Sensei's dojo Aiki Shuren (“austere training of Aiki”). We are honored to have that name bestowed upon our dojo by Larson Sensei.
Unable to move to Japan in the 1990's to become a direct student of Saito Sensei, Steve Kanney supplemented his practice with the study of Chinese Zen in 1996 with one of the more advanced teachers in the world. Zen and martial arts training maintain a long history of close association: “Zen discipline is simple, direct, self-reliant, self-denying…A good fighter is generally an ascetic or stoic, which means he has an iron will. This, when needed, Zen can supply.” - DT Suzuki Zen and Japanese Culture (pg 62)
Nathalis Wamba, training in Aikido since 1982
In memoriam, Gregory Temkin, training in Aikido since 2005
Prior to moving to the USA, Gregory was actively involved in peace and ecological movements in Russia. In the Perestroika years he organized many major American-Russian grassroots events, such as several peace walks in Russia and USA, a transatlantic sail “We Are All in the Same Boat”, ecological expeditions in the Polar regions etc. Gregory has extensively traveled the world, wrote several science fiction novels, many short stories, and many ethnographic articles. He is currently writing another novel, supposedly a political thriller. Gregory is an entrepreneur and lived with his family in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York until moving to North Port, Florida in 2018.
Joseph Dejesus, training in Aikido since 2010
Rick Rivera, training in Aikido since 2005
Kim Gold, training in Aikido since 2006