Four months ago, I stepped onto the mat for my first Aikido class. I thought I was simply taking up a new sport, one that happened to be a martial art. Then, in July, I attended my first weekend seminar.

During one of my first Aikido classes, I realised that what I had admired for so many years in Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo was right in front of me. Watching Sensei Michael Gordon move reminded me of the calm, confident, and graceful way the samurai moved. I realised that I wanted to learn how to move on the mat (and through life) with that same calm confidence, while remaining humble and peaceful.

Then the seminar came, and by the end of the second day, it felt as though we were all sharing something truly unique. I am grateful to everyone who was there. Even now, I sometimes catch myself wondering, Why do I miss people I’ve only just met?

After the seminar, there was a calm happiness that stayed with me. Instead of taking my usual quiet route with my little dog, I walked straight down to Lower Gibsons, where it was busy with people. Normally, that would have made me uncomfortable, but I wasn’t bothered at all. People smiled back, and many of them even stepped aside to let me pass, including some with big dogs. It felt like I was experiencing some kind of “Aikido afterglow.”

I was reminded of the story about O-Sensei’s students saying they could perform techniques while he was present but struggled when he left, describing it as though he “lent them his ki.” After the seminar, it felt as though I had brought a lot of ki with me.

This and Aikido in general is difficult to explain because, as Sensei Michael Gordon said during one of the classes, “It needs to be experienced.” Perhaps Aikido should come with a warning label: It may change both you and the way you see the world.

I am especially grateful to be fortunate enough to learn from Sensei Michael Gordon, who is not only highly experienced and knowledgeable, but also patient and deeply dedicated to his students and to his teaching. I am so happy that I found his dojo, and I can’t wait to see where this journey leads.

–Krisztina Harasztosi, Gibsons BC