It's Your Business | More opportunities to learn Aikido in C-U
Jan. 30—Want to learn the Japanese martial art of Aikido?
Central Illinois Aikikai, Urbana, has added two new class options — a low-impact introductory class for adults and a second children's class, both meeting on Wednesday evenings.
The low-impact class for adults is for those who would like to learn Aikido without taking any harder falls, according to Knut Bauer, chief instructor.
The class emphasizes concentration, awareness, posture, balance and self-defense.
The new Aikido class for kids has a goal of building self esteem and confidence and cultivating awareness and discipline.
Bauer said new students can start at any time.
Bauer describes Aikido as a defensive martial art that utilizes joint locks, assorted pins and "lots of circular movements" to neutralize an attacker without doing serious harm.
Central Illinois Aikikai, which is in the north wing of Lincoln Square, has been in Champaign-Urbana since 1974. Bauer has been teaching there since 1980.
Moving locations
Champaign Medical Massage will relocate April 1 from its current space at 811 Dennison Drive, C, to a new space at 1806 N. Market St., C, on the Safeworks Illinois campus.
The new space will be in two existing rooms that are being remodeled, according to Matt Dillon, executive vice president at Safeworks Illinois.
The owner, Angie Sutherland, is a licensed massage therapist who started her practice in 2017 and got her medical massage practitioner's certificate in 2018. She has since added additional certifications.
"I decided to further my education in my field with medical massage in 2018 to specifically help people who deal with chronic pain in their daily lives," she said.
She focuses on natural methods of pain relief.
"I try to fight this opioid epidemic one patient at a time," she said.
Sutherland provides massage therapy for such conditions as sciatic pain, TMJ, headaches/migraines, hand or arm pain, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, pain in the hip, back, knee, foot, neck or head and shoulder injuries.
Sutherland said she decided to relocate to an environment that has services that complement each other as a benefit to patients.
She plans to add a new service after the move, manual lymphatic drainage, to help people struggling with lymphedema, she said.
Dillon said Champaign Medical Massage will be a great fit.
A 2,500 square-foot addition to the Safeworks building is in the planning stages.
Changes to the existing building in the past year and a half have included new epoxy floors and paint in the corridors and all patient rooms and a remodeled and larger nurse station, he said.
Expanding operation
Indian Acres Swim Club at 1 Arrow Road, C, will expand this fall to include an after-school program for kids ages 5-14 and a new preschool program called Camp Little Arrow for kids ages 3-4.
The after-school program will be open to kids from all school districts and will include bus transportation for Champaign school district kids who are enrolled, according to co-owner Lauren Morenz.
The program will have a limited enrollment and will offer tutoring and homework help and, when weather permits, swimming, she said.
Camp Little Arrow will run in the mornings and focus on kindergarten readiness skills.
Discounts will be available for siblings and swim club members.
An open house on the new programs will be scheduled for March, Morenz said.
