I just read an article about why it can be intimidating for people to go to the gym. The main gist of it was that people concerned that they don’t look fit enough or hot enough to work out in front of others. Particularly those of the opposite sex.  There is also some fear of trying to go in and use equipment you are unfamiliar with and either making a fool of yourself or actually injuring yourself because you don’t know how to use it properly.

Thinking about this makes me feel gratitude for my own situation.  My martial arts classes include both men and women but there are none of those concerns. First off, we all dress in uniform and a not so flattering one at that which is a good thing. It is designed to allow for freedom of movement and not show off any body parts as the clothes are pretty loose.  This I’m sure is no accident. This helps everyone stay focused on the class and not on one another.  Probably more of an issue at beginner level where you may have some students come in that do not realize that the kung fu taught at my school is all about focusing on the practice itself.

So I can walk into a room where I am occasionally the only woman in the class, and not worry about any of that. I don’t think they see me as “a woman” per se as much as they see me as just another person there for similar reasons to their own.  I don’t have to worry about what I look like which is very freeing. I also don’t have to worry about using any complex equipment - other than trying to get my own body to do what I ask of it! :)  

We also either always have my teacher in the room or another instructor who will make a correction if you are doing something wrong particularly if it could result in injury. So no worries there.

When it comes to things like sparring, I like the fact that I don’t feel like my male counterparts make allowances based on my gender. I would hate to be in a class where I felt I was being given special compensation or condescended to based on the fact that I am a woman.

This may not be everyone’s experience in their martial arts school but if your class is all about flirting, big egos or if you find that your instructor or classmates patronize you because you are female, then you might want to take a walk and find yourself another school quickly because it doesn’t have to be that way.

The truth is you will never find me at a gym. It is not my thing at all. I signed once many years ago and it is one of the very few things I ever signed up for that I didn’t pursue. My martial arts training gives me a great workout. I am sweaty, exhausted and often feel great after a good, hard class. It helps train flexiblity, coordination, strength, balance, endurance, cardio, focus, awareness and so forth.  I don’t need more than that and I certainly don’t need the extra baggage of worrying about if I look good in my work out attire.

Now, I’m sorry ladies if some of you who love the gym disagree. That is fine and I encourage you to speak up if you do!  After all, if we all thought identically what a boring world this would be.

Granted, some women gravitate towards all female classes to avoid some of these issues. But I still won’t be joining the gym.  The mental training, the personal growth aspects coupled with the physical benefits of my martial arts practice is simply unmatched by any other activity that I’ve tried. 

So, I’m not really saying one is better than the other because we are all different and. I suppose what it really comes down to what you are really looking to get out of it. I will say this though, for me my martial arts classes will get my vote every time, hands down.

Martial Arts Retreat

Well it has been too long since I last posted and am feeling guilty but guilt is such a wasted emotion I will quickly move on to tell you more about my retreat.

It was about 40 degrees out when we gathered together at 6:30 a.m. sharp to go sit in the woods and do some awareness meditation. It was our job to locate where we sat the prior day and settle in for a good hour of connecting with nature. What does this have to do with kung fu training you may ask?

Good question. The answer is quite a lot actually and on several levels at least from my own perspective. First off, by sitting quietly alone in the woods you start to reconnect with nature. The rhythms, the sounds, the animals slowly emerging and the changing of the light. I love to observe the trees and always find so many analogies to them with people.  Some so tall and strong, others with broken branches yet still surviving. Some are dead and yet still manage to stand up and be counted as if they are still alive when inside they are  really dead. Some people are like that don’t you think? Standing there really only a shell yet outwardly they appear to be amongst the living? Ok, I’m off on a tangent just a bit…

Anyway, by sitting out there and experiencing the elements, primarily the cold in this case, you begin to realize how powerful nature really is. The cold can kill you. No, I’m not claiming my life was in any danger but you do start realize and appreciate nature’s potential. It can kill you with cold and keep you warm with the sun. Let me tell you how good that sun felt when it finally came out and I stepped out into a clearing an hour later. I just drank in the warmth of the sun and the feeling it had on my face. Now, do you think that would have felt the same to me if I had just stepped out of a heated cabin? No way.

You see you realize how you really cut yourself off from all of this when you spend too much of your time indoors. It makes us soft doesn’t it? Discomfort, dealing with it and truly experiencing it makes us feel not only more alive but it toughens us up. Yes, it’s cold and yes, I’m dealing with it.

You start to see how this might relate to martial arts classes can’t you? When you are on the floor toughing it out - you are feeling something. You are getting past that feeling (hopefully) of “this is too difficult. I can’t, I can’t”.  You see, martial arts is just a microcosm of the real world. What you experience in the dojang is really analogous to what goes on in the real world.  The dojang is supposed to be a “place of enlightenment”.  This is your opportunity to work on yourself.  So that when you step outside into the world you are better prepared to deal with challenges. In this case, my “dojang” or “dojo” as some call it, was nature and while sitting there I got just a bit more enlightened and connected to my world. 

By sitting there, paying attention to every sight, sound, smell, feeling and even taste you stop tuning out the world and start plugging into it. By actively trying to use all my senses, I could see how helpful this might be in a self defense situation.  If I rely not just on what I see or hear but all my senses don’t I increase my changes of noticing something is “wrong” before it happens?

My teacher has said that when they interview victims of crime, they often say they “sensed” something was wrong but ignored the feeling.  Awareness training helps you develop the ability to not only detect things that might otherwise go unnoticed but also PAY ATTENTION to them. If you “feel something just isn’t right,” go the other way. Whatever you were going to do just isn’t that important.  Pay attention to your surroundings and listen to your gut, not your brain, if something doesn’t seem right.  You see the first rule of self defense training is awareness. Get yourself out before you find yourself in a bad situation.

Well, I hope you got something useful out of this post. I’d love to hear from others about their own experiences either sitting in nature or when they encountered a self defense situation or attack where it was preceding by a feeling of foreboding.

Most people begin taking martial arts classes for one of two reasons…they want to get into shape or they want to learn to defend themselves. But what most don’t realize is that while getting your butt kicked you learn alot about yourself and what you are made of. You end up leaving your ego (along with some blood, sweat and tears) on the floor and it is just you in your raw form trying to not to get punched, pushed or kicked. Yes, it sounds a bit brutal but no worries, you’ve got gear on. A good partner won’t be trying to take you out and I am surrounded by good people at my school luckily for me. In fact, my teacher emphasizes “partners not opponents” but I digress.

So back to getting my butt kicked…you see I am new to sparring and am working on my defense while trying to figure out how to get in a few hit of my own.  During the process of this early learning stage I get a bit pummelled sometimes. So feeling like I am back in grade school with a bully on my back can be a bit frustrating. But that is part of the point. You need to learn to keep your head, your wits about you and not get all emotional over it.  You see, there lies in the difference between doing yogo or pilates and doing kung fu. It pushes you to your physical and emotional limits and forces you to tap into inner reserves to keep going.

Martial arts, taught by a good teacher, is about destruction of the ego and at the same time teaches you to face adversity inside the safe walls of the dojo (dojang). So when you get out into the real world, you take with you the lessons you’ve learned and are able to apply them when things get tough.

And if you are over the age of 10, you know how tough life can get. Why not be prepared?