6th kyu & beyond
by Richard Stewart
I moved to Toronto from Ottawa last April with the intent of accomplishing three distinct goals. Two were to complete my degree in Psychology and to rekindle my love affair with aviation by reestablishing my private pilot's licence, which I obtained as a teenager through Air Cadets. Upon accomplishing these two, it was my desire to pursue a career in theatre as an actor, a passion I stumbled onto after a car accident severely damaged my knees and sidetracked my pursuit of a career in aviation.
Although it may appear that these three things have nothing in common, they are linked by a relentless commitment to self-discovery and expression. After settling into my new surroundings I began to search for a gym. I chose the YMCA because of its wide range of activities. I was particularly intrigued by yoga and aikido. I had always been interested in studying a martial art, but my knees limited my choices.
Aikido seemed like the perfect solution and I must admit that the Steven Seagal movies that I had seen tweaked my interest. I attended and enjoyed yoga class, but fully embraced aikido. As my nephew and I watched a Thursday morning class we were both very impressed by the power, grace, and fluidity of the techniques. Fran Sensei and Ramin seemed engaged in combative dance. I was hooked.
In a year that would see me make some very poor choices, the practice of aikido turned out to be the exception. When I ventured onto the mat I discovered its true power. I experienced the interplay between uke and nage, and Bill Collins Sensei's Newtonian explanations led to moments of insight and enlightenment. This coupled with Fran Sensei's wise words made aikido a profound experience. I began to sense that the principles and ideas behind aikido mapped a path that would help me become the person I wanted to be. 1996 proved to be a very difficult year. Some of my goals fell by the wayside. But through the storm aikido served as a lighthouse.
However all wasn't lost, I got a job at a flying school and was cast in my first full-fledged theatrical production. During the run of the play I found myself using our aikido warm-ups to prepare myself for the stage and focus my ki towards the audience. In addition I have recently passed my 6th kyu test, which for me is a small triumph. Although it is the first rank I am very proud because I persevered in order to achieve it. I enthusiastically look forward to going 6th kyu and beyond.
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