Dr. Eric André Graf

From A Young Age, I Have Dedicated Myself To Acquiring Knowledge And To In Depth Learning To Achieve Excellence. Today My Passion Is To Share With Our Students Our Knowledge In Aikido, Yoga And Meditation, Teaching Them Strength And Wisdom For A Better Life.

From the age of 11, I became passionate about Astronomy. I spent my free time reading popular books about it during the day and scanning the sky at night. At the age of 13, I wrote a book on the Solar System that was a review and synthesis of the knowledge of the time. Encouraged by one of my high school teachers, I participated in the ``Science Calls Young People'' competition. At the age of 14, I was awarded the prize of excellence at Swiss national level. I could buy a telescope! I was passionate about understanding the workings of this mysterious and huge universe made up mostly of emptiness.

When I started my studies, I naturally wanted to learn everything there was to know about Astronomy. However, Astronomy as taught at University does not care much for the functioning of the Universe as a whole. As I discovered, it's more about calculating trajectories of planets and comets flying in infinite immensity. So, with some disappointment, I opted for physical electronics, then mathematics in Neuchâtel, more concrete and useful as was my opinion at the time. Concurrently I started the practice of Aikido, I was 19 years old. Aikido really enthused me. The combination of the use of one's body and its greater philosophical considerations really appealed to me. After three years, I decided to get closer to Master Ikeda (international master of Aikido) to increase and deepen my knowledge. I continued my studies as an engineer and mathematician at the Polytechnic University of Zurich so as to be close to the Aikido Ikeda-Dojo Zurich and in order to follow intensive trainings.

Mathematics can explain a great number of phenomena and has an intimate connection with philosophy. With my experience and observation, I find that the structure and systematics of mathematics are of great help to me in the teaching of Japanese yoga and Aikido. Encouraged by my masters and while living, studying and training in Zurich, I headed the Aikido Ikeda-Dojo La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2000, at the age of 22. Through my efforts and dedication, I was rewarded with the possibility of aligning my life with my passions!

I returned to the Neuchâtel region in 2003 to work in statistics, a field of mathematics even more focused on describing the phenomena of nature and humanity. In 2005, with my wife from that time, we took over the management of the Aikido school of Neuchâtel to create the Dojo Neuchâtel – Cultural Space in 2006. I gradually decreased my activity in statistics to increase my investment in Aikido, Japanese yoga and meditation.

No longer able to stand the administrative side of my work, I ended my career by doing a doctorate in statistics from 2011 to 2015. I do believe in doing things well! Then I made the decision to devote myself solely to the study, transmission and practice of the arts that fascinate and empower me.

One of the Taoist teachings states that man is a micro-universe, a reflection of the macro-universe. I am therefore living my childhood passion of trying to understand the functioning of the vast Universe by experimenting, training and studying all the possible dimensions of the micro-Universe, that is to say our physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual being.

In 2022 I was elected to the committee of the Swiss Youth Aikido Association (AJS) which promotes the development of

Aikido at the national level among young people and works for its integration in Youth & Sport. In 2023 the Aikikai

Hombu Dojo awarded me the 6th dan, in parallel I founded the Swiss School of Japanese Yoga

(https://japanese-yoga.ch).