Miles Kessler

Miles Kessler began Aikido in 1985 in Dallas, Texas, with the late Bill Sosa Sensei. In 1989 he moved to Japan to train with the late Morihiro Saito Sensei in Iwama. He lived there for a total of 8 years, including serving for one year as Iwama dojo "uchi-deshi" (live-in apprentice). This was a period of intensive daily training under the guidance of Saito Sensei and his son Hitohiro Saito Sensei.

Miles began teaching Aikido while in Japan, co-founding the Mito International Aikido Club, and instructing at the Ibaraki Social Welfare Center from 1994 to 1997.

Upon leaving Japan in 1997 Miles began teaching internationally, conducting yearly seminar tours around the world in Asia, New Zealand, Europe, the Mid-East and the United States.

In addition to his Aikido background Miles is a practitioner of Vipassana, insight meditation. Since 1998 he has undertaken extended retreats of intensive practice in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita, and in Nepal with Sayadaw U Vivekananda.

In 2000 Miles began visiting Israel yearly to conduct seminars. In 2005 he decided to make Israel his home and moved to Tel Aviv where he currently resides and teaches Aikido.