From a young age I always liked the idea of practicing a martial art.
I had watched films like James Bond and remember leaving the cinema wishing to embody the incredible abilities of the main characters.
I had also experienced siutations in which my lack of experience in protecting myself phsyically had held me back from acting either to defend others or to act in line with what I felt was right. On some occasions I had bowed to my fear instead of standing up for myself. These situations can leave us with a sense of shame but also a desire to do something about it so that the next time it won’t happen again.
I found Aikido at random through a friend that invited me along. Why he even thought to invite me I don’t really know. I enjoyed the first few classes but was very much on the borderline of deciding to commit to it. I made the decision to keep going.
At that time of my life one journey seemed to have come to an end. I had been in a band for 2 or 3 years that was playing all over the country, appearing on television and radio and looking to hit the big time. The situation within the band however was quite toxic in some ways and it became depressing to be there. For a number of reasons the band fell apart and I fell out of love with the music business.
I found Aikido at that point and also started to go on a path towards better personal health through diet and meditation.
I had been caught up in my own lofty dreams of musical success and this had led to me being burned out and depressed.
Aikido seemed to help me reconnect and get grounded again. I learned to centre my mind and body more. I enjoyed the techniques, the movement and the philosophies. I had some eye opening experiences with what we call “ki” that drove my curiosity to learn more.
I am still on this path years later. Aikido is still a platform for me to continue to develop as a person on a physical, mental and spiritual level. Aikido has made me more comfortable in myself and in the world.
The principles of ki Aikido have taught me to embrace the world and it’s challenges with positivity. I have learned to centre myself and remain calm and patient in difficult situations. My default reaction is to relax completely in times of conlict or tension. This has been valuable to me.
In all though, Aikido has been fun and enjoyable and I still enjoy and get excited by going along to class.
From early on, I have supported others in the classes I attended to improve. I would sometimes be assigned to help someone with their techniques. I found this could sometimes be challenging and it took me time to learn how to help others better.
I primarily teach for the selfish reason that I enjoy it and wish to continue to do it. I also believe in the old phrase “you learn best while teaching”
Some say “those who can – do , those who can’t – teach”
I would suggest “those who can and also understand, teach”
I would not admit to fully understanding Aikido yet which is why I find it fascinating. Through teaching I hope to improve and learn more.
On top of that, it is satisfying to help others and watch them progress. It still surprises me how much people can develop in a short space of time. People that used to fall over easily become very hard to throw in a short space of time.
I also see it as an avenue to meet other people. I have met a lot of great people through Aikido and have some lifelong friends that I stay in touch with from around the world.
I hope overall to have a good impact on the class the wider community through creating a successful Aikido club.
Aikido For Glasgow 