And now we begin: the relationship between the Transporters & the practice of Aikido, by Christina Chan, R.Ac.

This last week of June 2026 has been, albeit it beyond full, stressful and hectic, was also extremely special. During this time frame, I achieved not just one, but two important goals this summer related to my two passions:

(1) Completing a 2 year acupuncture mentorship in the 8 Extraordinary Vessels (8EV) in the treatment of psycho-emotional disorders;
(2) Achieving my 3rd Kyu rank at Aikido.

I embarked on this important, transformative journey over 2 years ago starting the 8 Extraordinary Vessels mentorship October 2024. Additionally, I finally decided to step back on the mats at Victoria Aikikai, December 2024. Its fitting that the “beginning” and “end” of both of these journeys have been so impactful for me, so it was unsurprising that this mentorship and my early days of Aikido ran in parallel to one another.

Both of these achievements demanded of me substantial investments of time, commitment and physical-mental-emotional stamina. I have been stretched, strained, affronted with big emotions, self-doubt and regularly decorated with bruises of unknown origin, physically, emotionally and otherwise. During this period, I have become stronger, grounded, patient, more open to investing in loss and capable of moving forward from setbacks.

Participating in the 8EV curriculum with the esteemed Dr. Yvonne Farrell, was a wild ride. For the past 2 years, I felt like I was being broken down, rearranged and rebuilt. Each subsequent module was peeling back layers, teaching me how to read between the lines and deepening my understanding of the human condition. Additionally, it also gradually widened by window of tolerance, which previously, my tender, traumatized nervous system was reactive and narrow. I acknowledge that I have grown into a different practitioner and human being through this educational, yet spiritual process. It has been a pivotal addition to my toolkit as an acupuncturist and my preliminary, surface level understanding of the 8EV has already transformed my community practice. I look forward to what the future has in-store.

And reaching the rank of 3rd Kyu is a milestone for any junior Aikidoka. You are officially considered a beginner Aikido practitioner, which tracks, since the more I train, the less I feel like I know…I’ve learned a ton in the past year thanks to a committed weekly practice and I also acknowledge that the learning that awaits me will be endless.

June 2025, the same time last year, I was attending my first Canadian Aikido Federation summer camp. I met an elegant, kind and gracious Aikidoka in her late 50s who patiently guided my inexperienced body through numerous techniques. She also left me star struck because at the end of camp, she completed a brilliant black belt test and was awarded her San Dan (3rd degree black belt). Chatting between classes, I learned that like me, she also started Aikido in her mid-40s and challenged herself to earn her Shodan (1st degree black belt) within 5 years. Deeply inspired by her, I decided that I would attempt the same.

Not the elegant San Dan from last year, but here I am sandwiched between two of my other favorite San Dans after the 2026 summer camp, Anita Abbasi (left, Agatsu Aikikai) and Robert Ammon (right, Victoria Aikikai).

For the last year and a half, I’ve embarked on a steadfast path of completing the necessary five Mudansha (white belt) ranks that precede Shodan. This path is also intentionally testing the limits of what is possible living in my semi-disabled body. To date, I have earned my 5^th Kyu (May 2025), 4^th Kyu (Oct 2025) and most recently, 3^rd Kyu (June 2026). Contingent on whether I am healthy and injury-free, I have 3.5 years remaining and 2 ranks (2^nd Kyu + 1^st Kyu) to go…but considering my particularly colourful health history, being able-bodied has never been a guarantee, so, I’ll take what I can get and make the most of it.

It is humbling and exciting that I am now officially an 8EV AND Aikido beginner. And hence, the process of refining both of these respective practices officially begins. It strongly feels like universe was conspiring to lead my life down this challenging, enlightening and rewarding path. I don’t know where it will necessarily will lead me, but for now, I feel a mysterious, compelling pull.

The relationship between Aikido and acupuncture for me is one that resembles the theory of Yin and Yang, in which these relative opposing forces generate and support one another. The Yin work of acupuncture is nourishing, life giving and grounding. It is the care work I give to the community and in turn, it provides me an honest income to live, but also provides the funds necessary for what my Aikido practice entails – the training dues, uniforms, seminar fees and travel. In contrast, the flowing, propulsive and martial Yang energy of Aikido inspires, uplifts and focuses me, which is an important part of rewiring my traumatized nervous system. It is my constructive outlet that allows me to decompress, manage conflict, exercise a beginner’s mind and keeps me centred so I can be the best version of an Acupuncturist, not to mention having THE BEST reason to travel to Japan

About the Transporters and the distribution of resources for the journey

Module 6, the final module of our 2+ year mentorship journey covered The Transporters, the vessels responsible for moving the resources of the 4 Seas to where they are needed in order to make the most of our gifts and fulfill our life’s curriculum. As pre-natal vessels they are responsible for management and circulation of resources, so we may access them as our needs and circumstance change. They support adaptability and flexibility in the face of adversity, both during the moment (Qiao Vessels) and across our lifetime (Wei Vessels).

Wei Mai

Qiao Mai

They possess the ability to “link” helps us to maintain continuity of self over our lifetime. They manage resources from birth to death, through the 7/8 life cycles of Jing (Ancestral energy inherited from your parents). Harmonize Ying (Foundational vital Qi) & Wei (Protective energy) that circulates around our exterior). Can we adjust our behavior as circumstances change? Yin Wei Mai is the fabric that demonstrates how Yin, the physical structure, changes over time and our mental-emotional acceptance/adaptation related to that. Yang Wei Mai reflects the activities, the movements that the physical structure is able to do over time.

They manage resources from where we stand (ankles) to what we see (eyes). Regulates qi flow from the heel to the head (eyes). They help us to manage resources on a moment-to-moment basis. They are responsible for balancing polarity. Hence balancing right & left as well as medial & lateral and as it relates to changes in light & dark, day & night, seasonal changes, etc. Vessels of stance and orientation Yin Qiao Mai deals with concepts of “How do we stand up to ourselves?” and “How do we evaluate ourselves based on society?” Turning our awareness inwards, “Change the world by changing our selves.” Yang Qiao Mai deals with concepts of “How do we stand up to the world?” and ”How do our movements thru society reflect our stance?” Directing our vision towards the horizon to “Change the world to change ourselves.”

Negotiating the journey of Aikido, similar to the practice of acupuncture, is one of devotion, adaptability and infinite learning. The path of continual mastery of both practices is one that takes a lifetime. In order to reach the latter Yudansha (black belt) ranks, it requires decades of practice, so it is inevitable that becoming a Shihan (master) means the unavoidable process of also growing old. It involves the never-ending process of navigating injuries and adequate recovery, dedication to regular practice and learning how to age gracefully. To cultivate a self-awareness of how to adjust your training across this lifetime based on physical, mental and emotional capabilities as we grow older, which is in alignment to the Wei Mai. This is a process I am already familiar with as I am steadily approaching my 2nd decade of acupuncture practice. Furthermore, being in the thick of perimenopause, I am tapping into my Wei Mai so I may ride this life transition with humility, patience and openness…’cuz if you’ve accidentally bled into your white uniform pants as many times as I have because your menstrual cycle is becoming increasingly irregular, you’re gonna need a sense of humour :P

Powerful Aikidokas I met in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), left to right: Weixian, Bryn, moi, Anita,
Tam (who just tested for her Shodan, June 2026)

I have been a lifelong martial artist from Karate, Capoeira, Wing Chun, various styles of Tai Chi and Qi Gong and presently, my long term devotion, Aikido. I also have a lifelong relationship with chronic illness receiving a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the tender age of 12. One could say I came into this world already strongly bound to the Qiao Mai. I have decades of lived experience negotiating the moment to moment interaction with stimuli flying at me, whether it be a fist, an interpersonal conflict or a medical crisis. I am intimately familiar with how for better or worse, my experience of training mirrors life outside of the dojo, not to mention the countless hours spent in doctor’s offices, ERs and hospital beds and I have forged a robust ability for self-reflection and responding appropriately under pressure and/or severe physical distress. My life’s challenges time and time again provide a training ground for greater awareness of who I am in this world and the determination to continue evolving as a human being. My Qiao Mai and I are what they are because of what I have overcome.

For the past 18 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has been the lens that I see the world and process information through. And more recently, returning to a formal martial practice, the lens of Aikido has also gradually crept into my perception and way of moving through this ever-changing world. It reveals the physical and energetic framework for how one can age with grace and adjust to the changes of an aging body. It is how we as individuals respond appropriately to our external circumstances and whether we are able reflect internally, so we may maintain a path of lifelong evolution. Taking in this ancient, traditional and archetypal knowledge, I can’t help but see the clear connections between the action of The Transporters (Wei and Qiao Vessels) and what I have witnessed so far at the start of my Aikido journey.

Based on my lived experience, I feel I have cultivated the resourcefulness, resilience and determined grit necessary to commit to this journey. With open arms, I am ready to welcome whatever the universe has in-store.

~Christina Chan, R.Ac., 3rd Kyu Aikidoka

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke