Programs for Businesses and Organizations

Saint Louis Ki Society offers training to employees and other staff for business, schools and nonprofit organizations that are tailored to the needs of those groups. These programs teach specific methods for increasing and practicing calmness, keeping safe, and dealing with stress. They are rooted in the principles of Yoga and practices used in martial arts. In martial arts training, it is very important to remain calm and focused. Unfortunately, our daily lives frequently feel more like battlegrounds than comfortable retreats. We can learn practices that will help us remain calm and effective, even if we can't reduce the external stressors in our lives.

Three programs are offered which can be tailored to specific needs:
Safe & Sound
A Program of Personal Safety and Security for Social Work Professionals
Responding to Stress
Stress management training options range from 1-hour presentations to multi-day courses.
Relax & Renew
Meditation and relaxation techniques for health in daily life

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SAFE & SOUND
* Developing Confidence
* Increasing Awareness
* Protecting Self, Staff and Clients
* Managing Stress

Basics of Safe & Sound
Safe & Sound builds on the skills that social workers use everyday. Needs assessment, active listening and person centered awareness are forms of the most basic skills that Aikido seeks to develop. These skills are used to see danger as it arises and take action while it is still easy to manage. Learning to trust and act on feelings and instincts play a primary role in safety. The same positive awareness that helps social workers do their best work also helps keep them safe.

Aikido in Safe & Sound
Though solidly based in the art of Aikido, Safe & Sound courses do not try to teach standard Aikido Techniques. Physically, the training works to develop a first response that helps a person avoid and evade aggression, and stay as safe as possible. These responses are based on the redirecting and evasive maneuvers of Aikido. The primary focus in Safe & Sound is to reduce risk, promote safety and minimize injury for all parties involved. No restraint or other physical interventions are taught. This program is not a substitute for restraint training; it can enhance such training and reduce the need to utilize restraint other physical interventions.

The Teachers for Safe & Sound
Mark Rubbert and Kathrin Theis are the teachers for this program.

Mark Rubbert is the Executive Director and Head Instructor for Saint Louis Ki Society. He has trained for over 27 years in Aikido and Japanese Yoga. He has taught regular Aikido classes for adults and children as well as special classes and topics for over 23 years. He has the rank of 5th degree black belt and associate teacher certification from Ki Society International.

Kathrin Theis has over 26 years of experience in social work, a bachelor's degree in Psychology, and over 6 years training in Aikido. Ms. Theis has taught numerous classes and workshops on self defense for women, Aikido for adults and children, child abuse identification for medical professionals, and other topics.

Basic Course
The basic course is typically 6 2-hour classes. They have both lecture and physical practice components.
Lecture components include:
Information about safe actions and procedure
Issues concerning neighborhoods, buildings, cars and physical surroundings
The use and development of centered awareness and positive mind
Assessing situations
Components of safe interaction with others
Continuing Practice
Making safety a natural part of daily life

The physical components consist of:
Basic posture and calm centering
Developing relaxation
Awareness of the space around you
Movement - walking, moving past and turning with a hostile person.
Getting free from a grab
Receiving a push, deflecting or evading a strike
Rudimentary martial arts techniques
Basic rolling to ease the impact of falling
Participants will look at how to apply the training in scenarios drawn from the course leaders and from the participants.

Refresher Courses
Annual refresher courses are typically two 2-hour classes. These are for staff members who have completed the basic course. Refresher classes review all of the basics of Safe & Sound. Time is spent addressing individual needs and concerns that have arisen since taking the basic course.

Fees and Other Considerations
2 hours per session with a short break
$10/person/hour
Minimum 8 participants per session or $160 fee
Maximum 16 participants per session
Classes are conducted at our school near Forest Park, just east of Washington University, on our matted training floor.

See a compilation of evaluations by Safe & Sound participants by clicking HERE.

Safe & Sound can be adapted to the need of particular organizations. Class times and length, special risk factors and individual needs can all be taken into account when designing a particular program.

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RELAX & RENEW
Meditation and relaxation techniques for health in daily life
Let us be a part of your next employee wellness day.
We can show simple techniques to:
* Develop a daily meditative practice
* Lower negative reactions to stressors
* Reduce unnecessary tension
* Improve posture and movement
* Increase focus and awareness

Physical fitness has been popular for many years now. A enormous amount of research has measured the effects, and a lucrative commercial market has spawned countless products and services. Through special techniques and machines, particular groups of muscles or parts of the body can be targeted for training and development. Mental training can be approached in the same manner, but at least so far, without much aid from marketing or technology. Certain mental activities can be repeated in particular ways to increase those abilities. Like physical fitness, training the mind requires perseverance and hard work, but the rewards are high. The basics of mental training and the purpose of meditation are to develop the ability to focus and pay attention, to calmly observe the workings of your own mind. This observation itself begins to make positive changes in how we respond to stress and conflict and opens the door to making more conscious changes later. Of course using the mind is necessary for training the body, since they must work together. Likewise, simple movements and posture can aid the development of a calm and more perceptive mind. Increased awareness of unnecessary tension in the body is also a result of calming the mind. Progressive relaxation techniques can be used to reduce this tension and increase mental calmness.

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RESPONDING TO STRESS
This program looks at everyday stress in the workplace as well as stressful interpersonal on the job relationships. The training focuses is on developing self control, flexibility and creativity. The same teaching as found in Relax & Renew are employed and expanded on for use in on-the-job situations. The principles that are applied physically in Aikido are taught for use verbally. An exploration of awareness and use of body language, of physical posture and positioning in relation to others is an integral part of the training.

This stress management training option ranges from 1-hour presentations to multi-day courses.

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SUMMER SAMURAI
For Schools, Community Centers and other Organizations
     Summer Samurai is designed to be a 5-day program consisting of five 45 to 75 minute classes. The classes typically run from Monday through Friday. Each class builds on the material that was presented in previous classes. The children are taught the basics of Aikido. This includes basic movement and posture, rolling exercises, calmness and relaxation training, and one or two Aikido techniques. On Friday the participants learn movements with wooden practice swords and see some advanced Aikido.
     Summer Samurai is appropriate for ages 7 and up. It is best if he age range of the participants span no more than 4 years. This allows the training to be adjusted to the developmental level of the children. Because of safety concerns when working with wooden practice swords, children who are judged by the instructor as too undisciplined will not be allowed to participate in the Friday class. However, this is rarely a problem.
Click HERE to see a Summer Samurai brochure with more information.

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For more Information Contact
Mark Rubbert, Executive Director, (314) 726-5070
6006 Pershing Ave. Saint Louis MO 63112
Email: markrubbert@stlki.org

Some organizations that have had training with Saint Louis ki Society:
Community Alternatives
St. Louis ARC
Missouri Department of Mental Health:
St. Louis Regional Center
St. Charles Regional Center