A smile flashes across Mark McAllisterB次元官网网址檚 face as he shows off his latest iaido certificate.

B次元官网网址淭his is the seal of the Emperor of Japan,B次元官网网址� he says, as he points towards the stylized chrysanthemum flower at the top of the glass-framed certificate. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really cool to be part of something that is so much older and bigger than me,B次元官网网址� he says.

Described as the way of the sword, iaido is a martial art that first emerged in the mid-1500s during JapanB次元官网网址檚 Shogunate period when a caste of military nobles (Samurai) ruled. The purpose of iaido is to develop awareness, centredness, sincerity, a calm mind, and mental and physical harmony through the practice of traditional sword techniques that aim for maximum economy.

While the Samurai lost power a long time ago, their swordsmanship with its unique teaching techniques and traditions has survived and McAllister now wants to share it with others through the dojo that he and Stuart Branson will run out of Prospect Lake Community Hall on Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m.

B次元官网网址淚t [iaido] trains the mind and the body to be really aware of what is going around [it],B次元官网网址� he says. It can especially benefit people who might be dealing with physical and mental issues such as anxiety, he says.

The 40-year-old Saanich resident speaks from experience as he describes his journey into iaido. He is sitting on the patio of his home in the Prospect Lake area. It lies at the end of a narrow road that eventually turns into gravel. Firs mark the edge of the rural property and screen out the late August afternoon sun. It is quiet, even serene and McAllisterB次元官网网址檚 mood matches the feeling. But it was not always so.

McAllisterB次元官网网址檚 path began with a serious collision in 2008. He was riding his scooter to the University of Victoria, where he was studying fine arts, when he was struck by a vehicle.

When McAllister woke up alone eight hours later just after midnight, he had no idea why he was lying flat in a hospital bed. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 remember anything [about the accident],B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 was totally unconscious.B次元官网网址�

McAllister says he still remembers the sounds that his body made when he woke up in hospital.

B次元官网网址淚 tried to sit up, and my whole body made this series of cracking sounds,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚t was all the fascia [connective] tissue in my skin that had hardened from the accident.B次元官网网址�

McAllister left the hospital that night. B次元官网网址淭hey just let me out, and that was it,B次元官网网址� he says.

But if McAllister escaped more serious injuries, the collision soon left him in a permanent state of haze. Feelings of chronic fatigue, frequent migraines of great severity, and dizzy spells started to undermine the quality of his life and relationships, none more important than his marriage.

B次元官网网址淎nd it wasnB次元官网网址檛 until after I was married, that I realized that I had all kinds of issues, anger issues, over-stimulation,B次元官网网址� he says.

One physical factor was the loss of the pituitary gland only discovered last year. Located in the back of the human skull, this pea-sized gland secretes a series of hormones including testosterone, regulating a series of other hormonal glands. The force of the collision B次元官网网址減ulverizedB次元官网网址� it, said McAllister. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 extremely important, and often itB次元官网网址檚 the first thing to go in a brain injury.B次元官网网址�

Unable to receive rehabilitation through the provincial automobile insurance system, McAllister joined an outpatient rehabilitation program for persons who have had acquired brain injuries.

B次元官网网址淭hey encouraged me to find something that I could do to help me with my balance, my co-ordination, and I remembered that my sensei from karate had practised iaido. So I checked it out and fell in love with it the first night,B次元官网网址� he says.

Since then, he has honed his skills to achieve the status of third dan under iaidoB次元官网网址檚 ranking system with 10th dan being the highest.

While McAllister might be B次元官网网址減retty low on the totem pole,B次元官网网址� he has acquired enough knowledge and skills to teach others. He said the idea of launching a dojo emerged after achieving third dan. Eager to give back to the martial art that had given him so much, he jumped on the opportunity, because he wants to help others who might have experienced something similar to him.

B次元官网网址淲hat I want is for people to go, B次元官网网址楬ey, IB次元官网网址檓 in this situation,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 want people to feel as helped as I was by it. ThatB次元官网网址檚 basically it. It really helped me a lot.B次元官网网址�

McAllister can be reached at carspassby@gmail.com. Interested parties can also learn about iaido here.