Darryl Aiken-Afam, Holistic Fitness Artist
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer, Ohashi Institute Graduate, Certified Aerobox Instructor, Creator of Meridian Touch™
Born in Chicago and refined in Brooklyn, Darryl Aiken-Afam has over 20 years experience in the fitness, movement, healing and martial arts worlds. His earliest formal training began in the art of Tae Kwon Do at the age of 10, and throughout his high school years he was on both the track and footballs teams. In his early 20s he began studying Shotokan Karate and then Muay Thai kickboxing training to be an amateur fighter.
During this time he became an ACE certified trainer while also studying Capoeira, Kali (Stick fighting), and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Training and teaching so rigorously for so many years brought Darryl to a point of exhaustion coupled with many injuries. This led him to become a practitioner of the healing arts studying Shiatsu, and other forms of holistic bodywork along with Oriental Medicine Philosophy in the US and Japan.
Darryl is the creator of Meridian Touch Effortless Yoga and Meridian Touch Sports Yoga. The latter has been used by NCAA Big TEN varsity teams at Northwestern University and at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as by Haley Johnson, 2010 US Winter Olympic Biathlete. He is an active lecturer on Oriental Medicine & Movement and Meridian Exercise theory, and has spoken at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Kinesiology Department, and also at various training and dance centers in the US and abroad.
Current Projects
One of my main ongoing projects is my Meridian Touch book. Trust me, it’s still coming and will be worth more than the wait! This book will really surprise you. Also I have heavyweight writer, author, music critic, and activist Stanley Crouch in my corner guiding me in the writing of the book and kicking my ass to get it finished. For those of you that may not know Mr. Crouch, learn more here.
This month I’m playing a bodyguard in a television commercial produced by filmographer, actress, and activist Ronnique Hawkins, one of the producers on the very important 2005 film “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till.” She’s also the founder of the Anti-Lynching Movement and learnmyhistory.com.
There is also production in the works for a series of instructional Meridian Touch DVD. Up until now, our videos have been promotional projects, but by Christmas 2011, we hope to have our first release.
Recent Projects
2010 Winter Olympics – I assisted Women’s Biathlon Competitor, Haley Johnson by training her in Meridian Touch during the 2010 Winter Olympics and also training her while she was doing her qualifying competitions in Europe in late 2009.
2010 Northwestern University – The Meridian Touch team and I trained the NU Men’s Crew Team for the 4th year in a row.
2010 Team Dream Triathlon Team Chicago and New Jersey – Introduced Meridian Touch Sports Yoga to the female athletes of color of Team Dream to teach them how to relax their bodies and minds and manage their pain.
2010 University of Chicago Lab School - Apex Training and Wellness
The Meridian Touch Team and I introduced Meridian Touch to the young male and female athletes of the Lab School at the invitation of Apex Training and Wellness owner Chris Harper.
2009 University of Illinois at Chicago – I trained all of the competitive sports teams at UIC in Meridian Touch Sports Yoga in the Fall of 2009 at the request of the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Nick Zostatus.
Movement And Fitness Experience as Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Martial Arts Instructor, Program Director, Body Worker
Studio Experience
Chelsea Piers, Equinox NYC & Chicago, David Barton Gym, Crunch NYC & Chicago, Clay, Oval Fitness, Djoniba Dance & Drum Studio, Plus One Fitness, Reebok Club NYC, Body Elite Gym, Evanston Athletic Club, Northwestern University Athletic & Swim Club, Holmes Place, Duomo Gym, Revolution Studio, Embora Movement Studio, Profile Fitness
Martial Arts experience
Shotokan Karate, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kali, Abada Capoeira,
Satellite Member of the Chicago Fight Team MMA School
Eastern Medicine Training
Ohashi Institute NYC, Iokai Shiatsu Center Tokyo Japan (2002, 2004)
Mentor Training under Master Instructors Stephen Brown, L.Ac. Meridian Therapy, and Tony Zayner, L.Ac TCM (2003-2008)
Education
A.A.S. – CAD/Design Engineering (1988)
B.S. – Business Psychology, Penn State University (2013)
M.S. – Sports Psychology (2015)
