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Trifecta

As we move into 2014 I will post some of the things I am looking at and thinking over.

Here's one:  We often hear that nutrition is 80% of the equation when it comes to achieving fitness goals.  That is somewhat true / somewhat false. It depends on who is working toward what goal and what they have done previously.  It can be hard to split best practice from the diet industry when there is so much mixed information.  My thought is that whole/unprocessed foods are the way to go whenever possible. Limiting sugar is good.  I don't like the word diet because it implies uncomfortable restriction and my preference is to bring the body into balance so that positive changes correspond with feeling better.  Here's a TED Talk on Why dieting doesn't usually work by Sandra Aamodt.  She emphasizes mindfulness as a key way to become more comfortable with food.

Here's another one:  One tenent of my fitness philosophy is to train for function. I would like everyone I work with to be willing to find their athleticism, in whatever capacity suits them.  Recently I've been enjoying MyMadMethods.com. They've got great free workouts, a couple of free ebooks and a members area if you are so inclined.

Last one for today:  The study of willpower / motivation / personal development has a lot of crossover with health and wellness.  I don't think that real change happens when we force or fight ourselves. We become successful when we get more intune with ourselves and introduce ourselves to more satisfying ways of being.  Having an amazing thinking pattern specialist/hypnotherapist like Heron Saline in your life is awesome.  If you are going it alone, I like Omvana for this type of thing though there are many other sites out there.  Don't drive while you are listening!  If you want to understand willpower, there's a great book by Kelly McGonigal called The Willpower Instinct.  Definitely worth a read.

On a long term note, I am making a rough study of where the leading thinkers in evolutionary medicine, health and fitness, and the psychology of motivation agree.  Most of the focus will be split into three categories: nutrition, fitness, and personal development.  I am always interested in your thoughts and suggestions, so please feel free to message me: carey@careyrockland.com.

Out With A Bang

It's been an epic year.  There's one more month to rock out and then it will never be 2013 again. Before we hit 2014 I want to make sure that I've stared down the last of the 2013 demons and reached the best of the 2013 goals so I can jump forward with a clean slate.

Some thoughts for those of you metaphorically cleaning house right now:

1. What patterns are keeping you stuck?  How can you adjust your thinking / behavior / strategy to get unstuck?

2. What's been successful and why? Can you apply that same strategy to another area of your life?

3. What have you given up in pursuit of your fitness goals, and what have you gotten while in pursuit of these goals?

4. What do you want to do next and why?

5. Are you focused on the journey or the outcome? How can the journey be more enjoyable and what makes the outcome a richer experience?

If you are choosing to hibernate right now, be deliberate about it.  This is pre-season 2014! Leverage that hibernation so that you are ready to leap ahead come January.  Embodiment is a life-long commitment and it gets richer as we develop our relationship with ourselves.  Be creative, re-invent, make some inspiring changes, but most importantly, allow it to happen organically.

Happy Holiday Season, whatever your style may be!

Current Offerings

Results

Have you ever gone for a night run and suddenly the urban landscape transformed into something much more beautiful?  That feeling of cold night air in your lungs and registering light and sound differently unwires the sedentary routines that many of us fall into in the course of our lives.

I have gotten so much from full body strength and conditioning workouts that extend beyond any aesthetic or weight loss goal.  The results I am referring to are the benefits of feeling alive, capable and powerful.  When we feel that way we respect ourselves and we make good choices for ourselves.

Discipline is good, will power is good, but being on our own team is the most important thing.  On-going positive change comes from being our own best friend, our own parent, our own hero.  It can be hard to stay in that headspace but with practice it can become the default.

In time, great workouts feed us and then we continue the positive cycle and add the in healthy nutrition, the sleep, recovery time and efficiency that completes the circle.  It can become compelling.

Here's a simple way to begin:

Three times a week take a 20 minute walk and do 5 push-ups and 10 step-ups (with good form!) on every park bench you pass. Vary your pace based on landmarks - i.e. - speed walk from the fire hydrant to the lamp post. Duck underneath railings and continue the duck-under zig-zag for the length of the railing.  Hold onto handrail and hop up steps one leg at a time.  Look for more options as you travel the landscape and PLAY.

If you're more advanced bring a pair of gloves to protect your hands and run the course. Add jumps, bear crawls, crab walks, lunges, split jumps, pull-ups, recline rows, burpees on and off different surfaces, hill runs.  Extend the time limit.

Good nutrition means eating whole foods and staying away from processed foods as much as possible.
A simple change that yields quick results is to cut the sugar. Eliminate sugary drinks and sweets, or at least cut down in quantity. If weight loss is a goal, cut meal sizes down by 1/4 to start, reduce snacking (think of them as small meals instead) and see how you feel.  Hydrate adequately but not too much!

We will begin posting our Bay-Fit weekly workout challenge each Sunday night along with a sample workout.  Stay tuned and stay in touch.  Happy Training!!!

Hitting the Wall.

This happens:  We hit a wall.  There's been a block in the way.  Maybe it's invisible.  It just won't move.  There's been blood, sweat and tears and still we have this.  Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard we work, how much effort we expend, we are right here staring at the wall. 

The wall is the teacher, the lesson and the journey.  It's how we get to know ourselves.  It begs the question, can we like ourselves in spite of hitting this?  In spite of hitting it repeatedly? 

In that moment when we are starting at the wall, we can ask: Did I try everything? Did I go all out? Could I have been more thorough? Did I do the best I was capable of given the hand I was dealt (or even, given the hand I created when I knew less than I know now)? 

If the answer is yes, rest and regroup.  If the answer is no, the game is still on. Go back and fix the missing links. Try it again.and again.and again. but not the same way.  Remember the definition of insanity. 

Sports, fitness, life, they dovetail into very similar themes.  A wall is an opportunity to grow and become bigger than the old version that hit it in the first place.  Walls are part of life.  Walls cannot take away self-esteem, dignity or drive.  Face it and keep on going.  Walls can be beautiful. 

App-tastic

It's part of my job to stay up-to-date on what's out there in my field and for fun I sometimes choose and to test run combinations of tech training options.  The following is a combination that I like:

If I my nutrition goal was weight loss, and I wanted to get into better strength and cardiovascular shape I would use the following low cost programs:

Online nutrition: The Whole30 

Apps:
Tabata Timer 
Gorilla (this is all body weight work, with videos included)

Habit change via payment to a negative charity. StickK.com

Daily Routine:

Commit to Whole30 for the whole 30 days.
Enroll at StickK.com and get a referee (enlist a friend) - set goals here.
Do the following 6 days a week alternating daily between Programs A and B

Program A.
Warm-Up x 5 minutes - 10 minutes.
Complete 4 Tabatas with one minute rest between Tabatas
If you are new to fitness keep the intensity low.
Alternate between two exercises per Tabata.
T1. Squats and Jumping Jax
T2. Push-Ups and Hip Bridges
T3. Back Rows and Jogging in Place (high knees)
T4. Abs (Planks) and Supermans
Follow with 20 minutes brisk cardio.
Stretch out.

Program B.
Warm-Up x 5-10 minutes
Complete one Gorilla workout at your fitness level (progress to next workout next time).
Follow with 20 minutes of interval cardio :
either 30 sec quick pace : 1 min normal/easy
or
30 sec quick pace : 30 sec normal/easy
Adjust the work:rest ratio to meet your conditioning needs.
Stretch out.

As with all exercise programs, consult your physician prior to engaging.

Leveraging Individuality

Individual exercise and nutrition programming is exactly that: Individual.  There is no absolute right way to do it, no matter what the mainstream dictate is.  I observe greater degrees of success when the program is designed for the person.  There is a logic to our preferences that can be dialed in to bring us to where we want to go.

For those of us who are programmed to operate to swing between extremes:  Leverage the extremes so that they serve what we are seeking.  If you tend to fall off your training program make sure your program is periodized to include natural breaks or "fallout".  If you tend toward extreme nutrition practices incorporate carb cycling or intermittent fasting so that your practice feels familiar but the result will increase your health and wellbeing. 

For those of us who are programmed to longterm routine:  Leverage that consistency so that it yields the desired result.  Change the variables of the routine such that the routine creates change, but keep the basic structure and timing steady. Variables to shift might be: intensity, number of reps, amount weight, style of training, macronutrient ratios, and rest times.

Embodiment is as individual as we are. Physical practice is about working with ourselves to bring our best self forward.

Self-Styled

Describe "your game" - it's a question that's been high on my list for the past 16 weeks. Its a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition question put to me by my mentor and friend Cody Fielding.  His point being that I have my own distinct way of moving, preferred flow patterns and strategic preferences. I need to be able to explain that system, if only to myself.  When I roll I don't scramble through my mind-library of BJJ technique in hopes that I'll come up with a game plan that works, I have my own pre-existing style.  This style can be honed / adjusted / game changed but essentially its my way of moving.

Take this a little broader and apply it to personal relationship to physical practice.  Do you do take a generic / mainstreamed attitude to exercise or do you self-style your experience?  Are you driving it, or is it driving you? This is different than say, intelligent program design (it matters!).  Self-styling is an inspired attitude and a customized approach based on one's individuality.  

Outside of a sport or enjoyment context sometimes I think through the cultural push to exercise for health reasons or for aesthetics.  These can be considered neutral objectives that can either be externally driven, or owned and self-styled by the individual.  External drives tend to be somewhat hollow and lack the sense of calm and relationship with self that personal ownership offers.  My sense is that personal ownership leads to confidence, power and passion for the practice.  

It strikes me that those who are truly masterful at their practice tend to be excellent at the specific array of techniques / movement patterns that come naturally.  They have taken their style or their game to an elite level by playing to their strengths.  

Our personal relationship with our own physicality can be one of the most intimate relationships we have.  Why not hone our individual styles, get to know our own game and kick some seriously empowered ass!

Why We Do This (Originally Written For Juno Fitness)

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

On July 14, 2011 this email arrived at Juno: 

Hello!

As you can see I am very near by. I am looking for a trainer to work with who will get in my face, not take my bullshit, and push me to do what I know is best for my middle age, middle class, white lesbian, 250 pound body.  So please tell me the truth, is that you?  There's aches and pains and 60 hours a week of work and I have two labradors and a damn elliptical in my garage that I clean every month or so and my heart rate only goes up when I'm in the hot tub every morning. I drive by you all the time and wonder if we were working together would I walk the 8 blocks or drive? My life has become a series of mental negotiations to avoid exercise.

So, are you for fit folks wanting to be fitter or can you take on a struggling ex-athelete trying to figure out how to get some amount of control back in her life?

the before

I feel like I'm writing a personal ad but I'm a little desperate.

Best,

Marj

Juliet asked me to make the follow-up call and Marj began training at Juno in early August of 2011.  

From day one Marj knew she had some demons to face and some work to do BUT she never actually complained. Not once. I have rarely seen such drive and dedication. Marj was ready.  

Soon Marj's partner Tracy started training too and they inspired each other in a team effort.  They initiated major changes in their nutrition and educated themselves about what foods work the best for them individually.   They began working out between training sessions on their own and together. Their dogs didn't know what hit 'em!

Of course there were setbacks. There were the aches and pains that accompany a leap into exercise.  There were times when we had to construct workout work-arounds to keep the momentum going despite old injury flare-ups and the body shifts that come with such full commitment to lifestyle change.  

They developed mental toughness and self-compassion.  They learned about physical self-care, respecting their limits and how to keep going when the going gets...hard.  They learned perspective. 

And: They took everyone with them.  They became vocal about their commitment to health and fitness.  Marj participated in a cardio challenge fundraiser and began posting her workouts online.  People noticed.  Juno noticed.  

Their hard work paid off: They are in amazing shape.  Their in-session training intensity is high-level.  Over 14 months Marj has lost 60lbs and Tracy has lost 40lbs.  And they want to take this further. THEY ARE NOT DONE!

They took themselves on a walking tour of Tuscany last week and I got this email from Marj: 

The trip is fantastic! We are hikers! I've always wanted to be hikers. People talk to us like we are hikers. Yesterday we hiked 5 miles straight up and down a hill (twice because we took a wrong turn) and it was totally doable. We thank you with every step.

We, at Juno could not be more proud of, impressed with and inspired by the two of you. (Juliet admitted she actually shed tears over how far you have come, and Juliet is...well...badass).  This is why we do what we do.  THANK YOU. 

the after

[Junofit.com]

-Carey

Look Alive

My chin hurts from the NAGA Grappling tournament this weekend.  My opponent made a valiant attempt at a choke and aimed high - it was a potential finisher after a sweep and taking mount.  She won the fight on points but didn't get the choke.

I needed to get back to competition and to my commitment to keep things fresh.  I want a life built on  expanding my capacity and experiencing growth in the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual realms.  To me they are all related.  I need events that push me to perform at my best and avoid complacency.

My best advice on this is: "Don't be too precious about it."  I can't remember who first recommended less preciousness but it has stuck with me.  Its never going to be perfect but small performance tests and activities that push us to develop ourselves are better done at all then indefinitely postponed in pursuit of perfection.  The rush that arrives when in pursuit of a worthy challenge is worth it.  It affirms we are alive and shows us who we are outside of our jobs and familiar self-referencing.

This autumn my commitment is to compete in more Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu events and to prepare for the bigger comps this winter and early spring.  I'm actively looking for another event to try out - a trail run or learning to rock climb or another day learning parkour.  I'm switching up my nutrition and my conditioning program.

What are you doing to change things up? How are you keeping your practice fresh?  What do you have to gain by pushing yourself to grow a little?

Alexis Davis: Invicta FC2: For OTM SF

Alexis Davis is scheduled to fight Hitomi Akano as the co-main event at the Invicta Fighting Championships 2 in Kansas City, Kansas on July 28, 2012.  She is a renowned Strikeforce Fighter, the 4th ranked 135lb Female Fighter in the World (Unified Women's MMA) and the 2011 WMMA Female Bantamweight of the Year.  She has a Black Belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and holds a professional MMA record of 11-4.  Davis is Canadian and currently resides in the Bay Area studying under Cesar Gracie.  She is a leader in the rapidly growing world of Female MMA (FMMA) and definitely one to watch. 


The following is an introductory interview leading up to her July 28 fight:

How did you get started in martial arts?

A friend of mine asked me to do kick boxing with her. After taking an interest in Martial Arts, I joined BJJ. I have been training for about 8 1/2 years now. I am currently a 4 stripe Brown Belt in BJJ and a Black Belt in Japanese JJ.

What made you decide to compete in MMA?


I got interested when I watched one of my instructors train for a fight. I saw it as a new way to challenge myself.

How do you structure your training camp leading up to a fight? 


I usually train about 4-5 times a day consisting of BJJ, conditioning, Muay Thai, stand up and ground. I study the film/video style of my opponent and add specific training geared towards that.



How do you describe your fight style?


A lot of being hard headed and a lot of heart. (lol) I refuse to give up or give in. I train to be the best and I fight to be the same.

What are your thoughts going into your July 28 Invicta fight?


I am happy to be a part of the inaugural Invicta events. This promotion is bringing the FMMA to a level never seen before. I am happy to be a co-main and represent all the females wanting to excel in this sport!

Who do you want to fight after Invicta?

I would LOVE to fight Miesha Tate, I think our styles of fighting would make a fight that would have the crowd standing every round. I respect her and know this would be a FIGHT OF THE YEAR nomination


What advice do you have for women in MMA?


Stick with it no matter what, although the frustration and hard times may come, focus on where you want to be. Stay positive and supportive of all the females training to be the same. We are in this together and together we will make FMMA a respectable sport for all to watch.

Limits vs Results

Two quotes have repeatedly flowed through my social media channels over the past week kicked off by two people who have been very influential in my own fitness development: 

1)

2) 

"I'm constantly tempted to change my career. As one book says . . . and I paraphrase - 'I love my industry - it's the people in it that I'm starting to dislike'. Fitness sells people on RESULTS! Results this and Results that!!!! Hell - we don't even know what results are anymore!! We think it means the accomplishment of a goal - but that is NOT often the case - especially when the initial goal is misguided!! The majority of long-term PT clients (e.g. >5years) don't look much different then when they started their PT experience. BUT - THEY OFTEN BECOME DIFFERENT PEOPLE. WHY? Improved function (however that is measured from person to person) changes a person's reality, and a person's life by default. If you can live a BETTER life because of your physical and spiritual improvement due to training - then you just have to look GOOD ENOUGH to live that BETTER life!! lol You don't have to have a six pack, get into a size 4, or even look 10 years younger to live that better life!! When your kicking ass - a size 8 can look pretty sexy, a 36 inch waste looks pretty thin when its owner passes your ass on a 5k run, and a little wrinkle here and salt and pepper hair there become the SEXY SCARS OF WISDOM!! SO - kick your client's asses, get them in great shape, make them tougher in this world full of pussies, AND you will see - "they wont give a shit if they don't look like the "Air-brushed and Photoshopped" Models that grace the cover of our demented magazine!!" There - my rant for the day!!" lmao 

-Juan Carlos Santana

There is a common thread in these two quotes: Expand your concept of success.  Look at the inner development that is happening, celebrate the character that is building and allow external pursuits to reveal natural talent even if it happens through failure.  External results matter, they serve a purpose but they are not the whole story.  Limits shed light on methods that no longer serve us and point toward a more productive direction.  The core qualities and intentions can still be in play even if the external means becomes limited in one direction.  Fulfillment is available in any pursuit if the experience becomes the teacher. 

Mental Note:

Don't ever let pedestrian problems block your brilliance.

Habitually override procrastination.

Live your potential.

I Went to TSAC 2012

Thursday, 4.12.12, 14:45 PM
Las Vegas Airport, Pre-Flight Purgatory

This week I attended the NSCA-TSAC conference in Las Vegas.   TSAC is the division of the National Strength and Conditioning Association developed to address Tactical Strength and Conditioning, specifically the fitness needs of the military, law enforcement professionals and fire fighters.  It was an incredible experience and I would like to attend this conference annually.

The lectures on schedule were presented by leaders in each field and the content was relevant and insightful.  I was impressed with the presenters' willingness to note where they felt their research was limited, and how they felt the testing, training and priorities might be adjusted going forward to better serve their demographics.

There were a few recurring themes that made the content of this conference markedly different from a general fitness or strictly athletic conference. Several times it was presented that the success measure for athletic performance vs tactical performance distills down to win or lose vs alive or dead.  The injury reporting rate for service professionals is far lower (they tough it out and don't tend to request treatment) than that of the athletic or general public populations.  The tactical training priority is to complete physical conditioning safely and effectively rather than over-focus on mastery of formal lift technique.


I have a deep appreciation for many traditions of physical training.  The commitment required to reach any physical milestone is noteworthy.  Practice that involves self-mastery is some of the most courageous work we can do.

I also note that when a physical training needs analysis is focused on preserving life in extreme physical circumstances - in battle, in a fire, in a violent altercation or in any other circumstance of physical danger - the emphasis on survival comes first.  Preserving life is the immediate goal of the exercise program.

Being part of a culture that is recovering from some ailments of a prevalent sedentary life-style, sometimes the immediate life-preserving aspects of fitness slip off the radar.  The idea that eating well now and exercising now for health later doesn't carry the same urgency as eat well and exercise now to stay alive now.  This conference woke me up to my own sense of time-lapse lethargy and inspired me to pay more attention to the immediate factors in my own life, even as a civilian with comparatively low risk.

This conference was great for my own growth because historically I have had some insecurity about moving in military-oriented or perceived conservative communities based on some fears of not-belonging.  The presenters were clearly motivated by genuine care and compassion for the demographics they serve and there was an impressive level of attention and respect amongst the participants.  I met a couple new friends over an epic coffee incident the first morning, which made the whole experience so much more fun than I could have anticipated.  I look forward to seeing how this conference will evolve in years to come.

Break.Through. (originally written for Juno Fitness)

What is an athletic breakthrough?  Is it completing more reps, winning a match, lifting heavier weight, losing weight, gaining muscle, running faster, passing the CPAT?  Or is it tapping into the mind-body connection and working intelligently within the physical system to strategically create a breakthrough performance? 

Culturally there is a huge push toward working hard in the gym, burning tons of calories, manning up to ass-whooping workouts that leave participants lying on the floor in pools of sweat unable to remember their own names.  Everyone gets a reward for this type of behavior, be it in the form of an ego pump, a reprieve from feeling lazy or the relief that bodies can actually go that hard when driven.  Of course, there is a fitness level that comes from this too, which is *generally* pretty good. 

The effort in the extreme workout is laudable.  Participants have learned how to face physical exertion and endure discomfort - the opposite of remaining sedentary.  Culturally, that is a leap which deserves positive recognition.  The challenge is in preventing those workouts from becoming leaping points to physical disconnect at which point they cease to advance athletic development.

Athleticism implies a mind-body connection.  One of the compelling factors in consistent physical practice is the flow state or the zone.  In the flow state there is an interplay between challenge level and immediate feedback which provides a deep sense of satisfaction.  As we improve our athletic development, aiming for the flow state keeps us in a healthy range.  If we move out of flow, we move into something more like force or strain and there is a split between our mental/emotional engagement and our physical exertion.

John Douillard, author of Mind, Body and Sport recommends breathing through the nose during physical exertion (when possible - some sport specific technique doesn't support this).   Breathing more slowly allows more oxygen to enter the blood stream and keeps the pace of our movements consistent with what we can be present with.  As technique improves and physical adaptation develops, we move more quickly with this breath style.  

Developing athleticism does involve hard work.  There are points of significant physical discomfort.  The difference between strategically crafting a breakthrough performance and going balls out without a plan is implementing intentional mind/body connection and sport science.  

Next time you hit the gym ask yourself:

What is my big picture goal? 

What is my goal for this workout?

Where does this workout fit within my big picture goal?

Ask us to help you pinpoint where exactly you are in relation to your breakthroughs.  How can we help guide you toward improved mind-body connection in the midst of your badass workouts?  We want the whole package, and we want that for you too.  

written by Carey Rockland for Juno Fitness

Lemming Rebels

What goes on for you when rejecting a fitness or nutrition plan?  What uncomfortable feelings come up when you consider following one?

Is there some idea that following a plan is an admission of defeat, like your way didn't work? Will you lose your edge? Is it finally time to grow up and do the responsible thing? Is it an admission of aging?Will you become a boring spokesperson for a boring life?  Are you afraid it will be uncomfortable?  Is there an aesthetic component that is either compelling or frightening?

Those are some thoughts I brought up at our Athletistry meeting yesterday. I asked myself why I sometimes step away from the Ayurvedic nutrition and supplementation I have available.  It was an exercise in understanding mindset.  We went deep into why we sometimes encounter aversion to our own practices to better understand what our clients might sometimes feel.

At one point I mentioned that if I did everything right I would no longer feel like a rebel.  Then TJ said that during her time with Noah Levine he said or conveyed that: "The strongest form of rebellion is to control your own mind and body."  She said that many lemming-rebels historically have thought they were rebelling when in fact they were succumbing to mass marketing.  For example, marketers sold rebels-past on the image that smoking is cool.  People smoked, funded tobacco companies and died from it.  That was not well thought-out rebelliousness.

When we weed out the false concepts that block us from taking action on what we actually want, we make progress.  Accessing personal power can require blowing through some tricky BS, but more often than not, it evaporates upon analysis.

What blocks do you put between you and your health?  How can they be unraveled?  What is waiting on the other side?

Women's Self Preservation

Sharon Sanghera (of Vincit Magazine) and I just launched the Women's Self Preservation Program.  Last weekend we presented a seminar called, Venus Tactical Training, which covers incident prevention, de-escalization and self-defense.  It's cool to work with a room full of women on movement and mental strategy to become more aware of safety and surroundings.  The Women's Self Preservation  Program also offers courses and material on exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, empowerment and leadership.

I never thought much about doing single sex programming before even though I went to a women's college.  One thing that got my attention was an interview I did with the Sweaty Betties and Leticia Ribeiro for Vincit Magazine.  The Sweaty Betties are a women's only grappling group affiliated with the Gracie Humaita fight team.  They brought 6 x World Champion Leticia Ribeiro to South San Francisco for a women's only grappling camp back in December.  The experience of 60+ female grapplers learning from a female world champion was unforgettable.  The Betties conveyed what it was like to train almost exclusively with men and the breakthroughs that suddenly occurred when they made a point to train with other women.  

I have been grappling/practicing BJJ for about seven years now, and for much of my instruction I have been one of very few women on the mat (this is changing).  My process around grappling began with getting used to full contact and spacial awareness.  My childhood socialization did not cover it and one season of recreational rugby barely scratched the surface.  I remember my first boxing experience around the same time - I was learning to spar and every time I threw a punch I would laugh and apologize.  It was automatic.  I remember noticing that the guys were not having that problem.  It took a few months to feel as though I had reached neutral ground in my relationship to the contact that occurs in combat sports.  More girls are being raised with the option to explore these sports, but it will still be a long time before this becomes common.  Sport participation or not, girls and women should have a sense of the space around them, know how to "hold base" (maintain balance) and space, and be reasonably prepared to handle physical contact if necessary. 

Creating a space for women to learn to defend themselves is powerful.  It creates a safe container to develop physical awareness with others doing exactly the same thing.  This is not martial arts, per se, but it is human movement, mindset and emotion.  We do have men in the class assisting, and we will open some programs in the future.  Right now, the specificity is compelling and effective.

We look forward to evolving this project, and we are excited about what is possible.  Info on upcoming seminars may be found on our website, our FaceBook page, and Twitter: @WSPreservation.