Petra Reuffurth

Aikido teacher, 5th Dan Aikido

Born in 1971, I grew up in the Netherlands before moving to Cologne in 1980. As a teenager, I discovered my love of climbing and mountaineering and was active in the German Alpine Club (DAV) for ten years, most recently as a leader in children's and youth work.

I learnt about Aikido from Dirk Kropp while studying curative education at the University of Cologne. The positive effects of practising Aikido were soon noticeable in my everyday life, so that I regularly practised Aikido several times a week over the next few years. In doing so, I increasingly realised the diverse potential of practising. My actual desire to become an Aikido teacher crystallised more and more. After practising Aikido for seventeen years, I decided to train for five years with Dirk Kropp in the meditative style of practice he had developed. In addition to the intensive daily practice experience, I also explored various spiritual traditions and discovered parallels with the Christian contemplation I was already familiar with. At the Lassalle House in Switzerland, I gained experience with Zen in the Glassman-Lassalle Zen lineage. In the Westerwald, I gained insights into Vipassana meditation at the Christian interfaith school of life founded by the Jesuit Fr Bertram Dickerhof.

I completed my training as an Aikido teacher at the end of 2017 and have since gained teaching experience in courses and workshops, including for the Archdiocese of Cologne, the Technical University and university sports in Cologne. I teach a basic lesson on Thursdays in Dirk Kropp's dojo and offer individual lessons.

I have been practising Aikido continuously since 1996 and have experienced time and again how beneficial and health-promoting regular practice together is. Making this experience possible for other people is a matter close to my heart.