Maine Spring Teachers Retreat

Aaron Cass is the chief instructor of Portsmouth Aikikai.

He began his Aikido  at the age of 17 and soon fell in love with the art, happy to have found a way to put his interests into practice.

Aaron has trained in Portsmouth, Santa Cruze and Wakayama, Japan, the birthplace of O-Sensei, While in Japan  he was deeply influenced by his teachers Yasuo Hashimoto and Yukio Takahashi. They were powerful and effective without using force, and they embodied the principles of the art in a way that Aaron had not yet known possible.

 Aaron trains under a variety of instructors including David Halprin, William Gleason, Mary Heiny and others. Aaron currently holds the rank of 5th degree black belt,

Robin Sensei began studying Aikido in 1974 and holds the rank of nanadan (7th degree black belt), which was awarded in January, 2022 from Saotome Sensei. Robin Sensei founded Aikido of Madison along with John Stone Sensei in 1984 and continues as the chief instructor there. The study of Aikido has informed Robin Sensei’s work and personal life, revealing many useful paths to resolving the conflicts of daily life, relationships and work. Robin Sensei has spent four plus decades learning about inclusion and perseverance through serving individuals with disabilities. Robin Sensei was awarded the Ueshiba Juku designation by Saotome Shihan as being in succession from O’Sensei through Saotome Shihan.

Don began his Aikido studies in 1978 at the New Haven Aikikai in New Haven, Connecticut. His early teachers were Bob Barrett, Donald Hailey, Terry Dobson, Ken Nisson and Mitsugi Saotome Shihan. Captivated early on by the depth and beauty of Aikido movement, Don’s interest continues to be to explore the many ways that Aikido practice can be personally transformative, in both the physical and inner realms. Integral to his practice is his fundamental belief that he is on the path as a student of Aikido. To this end he often travels to seminars and other opportunities to further his growth and hopefully set an example for his own students. Don has been awarded the rank of Yondan by Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan then with the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba.

Don has lived and worked in the Keene-Brattleboro area since 1983. In 2001 he renovated a hundred year-old church in Brattleboro, Vermont to be his home and the location for the River Valley Aikido club. He has one daughter whose passion is dance.

Dr. Ola Karasik Sensei (5th dan)  has been practicing Aikido since 1997, inspired by teachers including Daniel Herman Sensei, Frank Doran Sensei, Kayla Feder Sensei, Mary Heiny Sensei and M. Saotome Shihan. Ola Sensei was promoted to ASU Godan in 2025.

Tim Magill Sensei, 6th Dan, began practicing Aikido in 1986. He teaches across the US and internationally. His Aikido is a delightful combination of his influences: martial awareness and spontaneity from Saotome Sensei and John Messores Sensei; precision and sense of humor from Frank Doran Sensei; receptivity and softness from Mary Heiny Sensei and body integration from Ikeda Sensei. His teaching combines thoughtful explanations with immediately applicable feedback.  He currently lives, trains, and teaches in Orlando, FL, with his awesome wife Ola

Dave is a yondan in Aikido. He started his Aikido training in 1991 at McGill University in Montreal. In 1993 he began graduate studies in Colorado and continued his training at Boulder Aikikai. Returning to his home state of Maine, David joined Aikido of Maine in 2001. Dave enjoys a dynamic Aikido practice, exploring ways to improvise and helping students approach a place of self-confidence.

Leslie started Aikido in 1984 with Charlie Page, when Baltimore had two classes a week in a church basement. As a result, she trained regularly in the DC dojo when Saotome Sensei was there in the 80’s. In 1988, she moved to Vermont, where she trained with Terry Dobson for several years, before returning to Baltimore to train with Chuck Weber and Charlie Page. In 1997, she moved to Potsdam, NY, where she opened North Country Aikido, which evolved from being a college club at Clarkson University to a proper (small) dojo. Her career as a physical therapist and PT professor have influenced her approach to Aikido training and teaching. She is always thinking of ways to move in harmony with the body, avoiding injury and instilling a love of movement and life-long learning. She was recently promoted to 6^th dan in Aikido Schools of Ueshiba.

Gary began his martial arts and Aikido training in 1974. In 1988, he joined Shobu Aikido of Boston under the direction of William Gleason sensei. He travels to many Aikido seminars and camps to continue his training as a teacher and student of Aikido. Prior to his move to Maine, he ran a sporting goods sales and marketing company covering the six New England states. This work helped facilitate the family move to Maine and establishment of Aikido of Maine in 2001.
“Having a dojo is an incredible privilege, it is a constant learning experience and a true pleasure to spend my time thinking about our practice and how we can make our dojo a better place. I am very captivated by the power of Aikido in people’s lives and from a training perspective I am most interested in the connection aspect of practice and how we can put O’sensei’s teachings of creating harmony and improving the world into physical form.”
”I am always excited with the many ways Aikido can help people who are in need of transition and am humbled by the power of the practice to help people improve their lives”.

Ania Small is a rokudan began her Aikido training in Warsaw, Poland in 1983. Right before coming to the US in 1989, she lived in London and trained Aikido with Kanetsuka Sensei. After coming to Boston, Ania joined Shobu Aikido and studied with Gleason Sensei. In 2001 she moved to Maine to open a dojo with her husband Gary. Ania has been part of ASU and studying with Saotome Sensei since coming to US. She has been awarded Ueshiba Juku designation and serves the ASU in a variety of ways. Ania holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is interested in the role mind plays in Aikido practice.  She has a private practice in Freeport Maine.

“I came across Aikido class completely by accident, while returning a book to a friend. If you asked me then if I was interested in Martial Arts, I would have said no, but what I saw, completely captivated me. I loved the beauty of Aikido movement, I noticed that people were enjoying the practice and later learned that it was a non-competitive art. After participating in competitive team sports, I was looking for a physical activity I could enjoy and engage in without the focus on winning or loosing. Now, years later, I fell very lucky to have Aikido in my life. It gives me a great physical workout, including aerobic exercise, strength and core training as well as opportunity for self discovery and growth. Aikido practice continues to teach me about energy, power, conflict resolution and relationships. Studying and teaching Aikido is an integral part of my life. Through it, I met many people and build many friendships. I have also had opportunities to travel and study with amazing teachers.”