PHOTO: Lynn O'Donnell
Elizabeth Albin throws a fellow aikido student to the mat at New York Aikikai in Chelsea.

Tina Shepard, 60, an instructor at the dojo, twists and throws men, women and children down on mats several times a week. She is one of several women taking aikido classes at New York Aikikai in Chelsea to improve her physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

"Aikido is like acting," says Shepard. You watch what's happening around you and you can free up energy. It's fascinating and keeps growing. Every art has its plateau, but with aikido you never come to the end. I come to the dojo to practice and train every day. I want to start a theater dojo."

Aikido is a marital art that means "way of spiritual harmony" in Japanese.

Juan Montes, 40, also an aikido instructor, says the key element to aikido is balance. "When someone is attacking you, they are off-balance," says Montes. "The next step is to join energy with the attacker and that will allow you to throw them."

The cost to join is $130 a month for unlimited classes. Couples, students and children can also join at reduced rates.

Johanna Stoberock, 30, a freelance writer visits the dojo six days a week. She says she was surprised to see so many women in the dojo. In an average class, there are about 25 men and five women.

"I'm much stronger, more firmly rooted in my body and better oriented to the ground after taking aikido," says Stoberock.

Stoberock says aikido has made her more confident about handling herself in a dangerous situation, but claims aikido has its limitations.

"When it comes to defense, you run away," says Stoberock.

PHOTO: Lynn O'Donnell Gandy gets some tips from her instructor.

Indra Gandy, 32, a marketing representative for a giftware company, walks to the dojo every day after work. She says she started karate as a teen-ager and decided to switch to aikido to avoid injuring herself.

"I love the art itself," says Gandy. "Aikido is a mental and spiritual art. Aikido is something you can take off the mat and incorporate into the real world."

Gandy says aikido has made her more confident and focused on her goals. She says she noticed a difference in the shape of her body and how she moved after practicing for a month. It even gave her the confidence to take the test for becoming a police officer.

Elizabeth Albin, 41, a computer programmer, has been training for 15 years. She says she started aikido after a boyfriend encouraged her to try it. Albin says the men in the dojo were patronizing.

"I'm stronger than they think I am," she says in the beginning.

Albin says that although she feels strong and has learned to be calm if faced with confrontation, she doesn't do aikido for self-defense.

"I live somewhere safe and take cabs," she says.