Interview with Rachel Kling, Author of My Walk On The Aikido Path

What can you tell us about your new release, My Walk On The Aikido Path?

My Walk on the Aikido path is about  the resilience of the human spirit.  This tale of trauma and recovery teaches that anyone can rebuild their lives through mindfulness and perseverance, claim power, and find meaning no matter the depth of despair.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I was inspired to become an author when I read Toni Morrison’s  The Bluest Eye  in college.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Top five books are The Bluest Eye  by Toni Morrison, The Color Purple by Alice Walker,  To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway By Virginia Woolf. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

My first guest would be Toni Morrison, and I would ask her to talk about her writing process.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I love bringing a story to life through detail.

What is a typical day like for you?

I get up at five, and go down to the lake to practice Aikido, and a spiritual purification practice called Misogi. My day working with patients begins at 8am, and in the evenings I go to Aikido class, which have been on Zoom this past year.

What scene from My Walk On The Aikido Path was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene to write is when I am about to give up my training for black belt because it is so difficult.  But my Sensei helps me understand the true meaning of Black Belt, and helps me understand that Aikido is not as much about technique as it is a choice about who you want to be, and how you conduct yourself as  human being.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

My philosophy is the philosophy of Aikido. To meet contention with compassion.  To recognizing that all aggression is rooted in suffering.  That suffering is rooted in fear and separation.  And that the only appropriate response is love.  That violence is self-destructive, and we are here to love each other and create a world of peace.

Rachel Kling is the author of the new book My Walk On The Aikido Path

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