Bamboo Shoots, Grasshoppers & Inner Sanctuary over a cup of Tea

Bamboo Shoots

My memories of my friend, mentor, and Sensei of many years blend seamlessly with the countless conversations we had beyond the "regular" practice of Martial Arts.

Over the years, we dove into History, Philosophy, Ethics, Art, Mythology, and much much more. We explored the very fabric of human nature in it's infinite expressions of culture, science, and spirituality.

It was a time of intellectual growth, bonding, and personal transformation; a time spent beyond the kicks and punches of our practice (and thousands upon thousands they were), a time spent in exploration, learning, and togetherness.

Like a Bamboo forest, our conversations led everywhere, yet remained deeply interconnected through invisible threads of time...and thought.

It was what I needed, and it continues to inform and define the way I passionately explore and connect with life and the way I teach those who might need it too.

The Dojo awaits.

Grasshoppers

Most Parents are aware of the nature of their child's social environments such as schools, parks, various events, etc. We all know what peer pressure means, what drugs and alcohol can lead to, and what bullying does to anyone's mind.

We all want the best and safest environment for our children...but often that's just NOT possible.

What are the tools we can offer to a child (of any age) to use when WE ARE NOT "there" to protect them?

What are the tools we can provide to help our children negotiate traumatizing conflicts and handle the aftermath of such conflicts?

This is how the Grasshoppers Club came to be.

At the Grasshoppers’ Club, we practice Resilience, Self-Control, Mutual Respect, Empowerment, Problem Solving, Empathic Communication, Conflict Management and Transformation...and often Geometry, Physics, History, Math. and even Calligraphy in the most surprising ways and circumstances.

In other words, we practice Being Human.

The Grasshoppers approach is a nonviolent Martial Arts-based Educational & Mentoring Program for Kids & Youth. The program adapts to the specific community it serves, and to the individual needs of all of the Students.

Most importantly, it invites parents to explore, experiment, and learn how Martial Arts principles and movements can be peacefully - and playfully - applied to an empowered everyday parenting life. Teaching must adapt to everyone and the information and skills must be tested against their applicability.

Ultimately, this knowledge and these skills acquired through the practice will inform decision-making and also help students navigate the ocean of conflicts and relationships rising and surrounding them on a daily basis.

When I look at my own kids in our daily life, and your kids during practice, that’s what I keep an eye on and aim for: an ever-changing ability to adapt from a position of confidence even if the ground shakes under their feet.

The Grasshoppers approach is the result of years of personal study and introspection on how Traditional teaching methodologies can be applied and ADAPT to our modern needs and circumstances in a way which conserves traditional values while individually nurturing an entirely new and different cultural reality. It also invites everyone to remain humble in both teaching AND learning.

Movement as Sanctuary

Let me tell you a story from my beginnings.

When I first started Martial Arts, I came from really seriously messed up childhood trauma and had to train one-on-one for about 2 years with my teacher before formally joining our Dojo.

One of the first thing he (my Sensei) told me was this:

"If you stick with it for six months, it will stick with you for a lifetime."

I stuck with it for what it is now 40+ years and I know it will be so for my lifetime. BUT, I also came to understand the " with it for what it is now 38 years and I know it will be so for my lifetime. BUT, I also came to understand the "stickiness" in that quote and found it necessary to rephrase it in a way that I believe to be a more accurate description of the process involved, as well as how it includes the reasoning for it.

After a while, I no longer "stuck" with it. Sticking implies an effort, a self-imposed will-driven choice, and sometimes a struggle. The true and fundamentally profound transformation came when I realized and shifted from "sticking" to "entering."

The Practice became my Sanctuary. I "entered" it, rather than sticking to it. Eventually, it became the core principle of my teaching and working with Kids, Youth, and Adults...because we all have trauma lingering in our bodies. Some more, some less, some deep and hidden, some raw and unbearable.

Trauma is the leftover of Conflict.

It is the scar tissue we carry with us through our daily lives, and it can remain a hidden and dormant weighted burden, or, it can be triggered into a fiery destructive dragon by certain events happening to us...or through us.

So, find solace in your practice. Transform your practice into your own inner sanctuary.

You will be able to enter this Sanctuary at any moment in your life, not just during particular segments of time. Sometimes it might take a few moments, sometimes all it will take is a breath. Regardless of the way you will build your entrance, your inner sanctuary will be the center from which you’ll journey through Life - the mental space from which you will have access to your internal power and potential.

This is what I practice. This is what I teach. Join us to explore and try it yourself.

“Movement as Sanctuary” is the core principle of the work my wife and I do through all of our classes and workshops. Our practice becomes a Movement Sanctuary for Learning.

Inner Sanctuary

There are countless things that can be said about the inner space, the infinite "within" we all spend much of our lives in, but we rarely acknowledge the tremendous practical value it holds.

Inner space can become an inner sanctuary, a mental and emotional space from which we can navigate life, where we can find refuge and healing, where we can access our own internal power to be ourselves.

Ironically maybe, and in a fascinating way, we also have the ability to access our inner space through an external instrument and its means: our body in movement.

Oftentimes, “form” is the trick we can use to settle the mind. For a kid and even for an adult, form (routine, patterned movement) is a safety zone. It allows for a gradual meeting of one’s limitations while at the same time expanding those limitations. It opens a gateway to and from our inner space.

This is a tricky tightrope between “I can’t do that” and “I can do that”, perpetually fluctuating for as long as we are in learning mode. Confidence grows as a result of repetitive action until the brain stabilizes the most efficient neuromuscular pathway necessary for achieving a specific goal. That is why “bad habits” are hard to break, and we should never attempt it.

The natural way is to replace them by creating new pathways, almost from scratch and soon enough the brain will learn the “new efficient.” In a sense, the “old” will be replaced by a “new”. That too will change, but as we shift from one “efficient” to another, we also slowly become less hindered by the changes themselves. That’s where true confidence resides, and its “signature” is increased adaptability to any changes - where one responds to the process of “how & why is happening”, rather than to the “what is happening.”

Sometimes, this cannot be easily achieved in a group setting. My Martial Arts training began with two years of on-on-one practice with my Sensei, sometimes daily. Not only it accelerated my learning, but it removed the element of social anxiety and aggression I was experiencing at the time. The one-on-one origin of my personal martial arts journey had allowed a type of introspection otherwise impossible in a setting where everything moves faster than one normally can handle. Everyone is different, therefore learning will differ for everyone.

True teaching must adapt to everyone.

A group setting on the other hand, provides “soft walls” as I call them. These are limitations, boundaries, and discomforts that are not threatening or dangerous, or even unknown. These are the kind of obstacles that we bump into – voluntarily, but they do not bruise us emotionally (which is the sanctuary of our sense of identity). Bumper cars come to mind…

Inner space as our own inner sanctuary is like an open temple. We must continuously design and build it, clean it, open it up to receive and embrace the world with all of its newness, and set clear boundaries to keep it safe from the noise and

Let’s brew some Tea

Maybe it helps to list a few things we might explore while sipping tea.

One important thing is to put aside stereotypes and expectations. Most parents think of Martial Arts training as a period of time where their kids get to learn to be disciplined (i.e. listen to their parents, teachers, etc). I had parents who flat out asked me to teach their kids to be obedient.

I don't do that.

I teach the opposite. Critical thinking, ability to enter a situation with questions and strategy - those are an intrinsic part of practice.

Then of course, we all think of Martial Arts as kicks, punches and loud screaming.

I do not do that either.

Think of this practice as a tool. This is important, because it is not meant as entertainment. We’re having fun, we challenge ourselves, we challenge each other, we play games, and tell stories - yet, it is not meant as entertainment. It is meant as a tool.

Kids learn to manage themselves, negotiate aggression and conflicts, , and most importantly - through Movement - they access personal development in a way that cannot be lost. It becomes theirs, for the rest of their lives, whenever they need it.

Once in a while, we’ll brew Tea, sip, and chat.

Everyone is Different…and we play by different rules: Adaptability,

Creativity, and Strategy, Unbound from traditional teaching structures,

Critical Thinking & Creative Learning, Collective Mentorship.

Grasshoppers Club is a Martial Arts-based Educational & Mentoring program providing a unique learning environment built upon mutual respect, conflict management, collective problem solving, and non-competitiveness.

Raising Expectations

I believe we all have our reasons for doing something - anything. These reasons also carry within our perceptions and expectations of what we hope and want to achieve. My rule of thumb when it comes to learning is to always raise my expectations. The following results should be on the list of everyone’s expectations when it comes to practicing Exploratory Martial Arts at the Grasshoppers Club:

IMPROVEMENT of your fitness level, mental agility, emotional balance. These results can then be applied to any activity you perform in your daily life at any level - competitive, professional, creative, etc.

A MARTIAL ARTS FAST TRACK SKILL BUILDING. This is based on abilities you currently have. Natural movement is re-configured and re-purposed to give you a tactical and practical advantage during a conflict. This component of the program is meant as a functional shortcut. It will save you time, money, and pain.

A FUN & INTELLIGENT TIME spent in a safe collective environment, conducive to learning and personal transformation. The program works in such a way that allows for transformational leaps in empowerment, resilience, self-determination, and self-confidence.

A practice of COMMUNITY, RESPONSIBILITY, and COMPASSION.

The first meeting and the first touch are the greatest of opportunities to CONNECT. When a student first starts, I like to explore their SKILL, their ADAPTABILITY, and the FOUNDATION from which they act.

✓ SKILL means their natural abilities + acquired movement patters

✓ ADAPTABILITY means how quickly can they adjust to new information

✓ FOUNDATION is a sum of emotional, physical, mental processes to which a student defaults during various events surrounding them.

When we CONNECT, we begin knowing each other and thus, a new journey begins as well. Join us for a good dose of fun exploration!

A Parent Testimonial:

“Bo has a good way with kids. He respects them, communicates well, and is gentle, yet firm. His depth of experience shows in his teaching methodology: any kinks have already been worked out. When he teaches one thing, it later becomes a part of another thing. To his enormous credit, he does not start with explanations but with movement instead. He allows the student to jump into following his movement and later will find out how it fits into the bigger picture. The student begins to develop muscle memory and then Bo adds another step. In this way, the student doesn’t even realize he or she is learning! There is no harshness, shaming, or disrespect in his style. Bo also keeps the lesson fun and light, while simultaneously maintaining firmness and encouraging the students to keep trying.” ~ Kathie P.S., Mom

Answering questions - Always ask!

Parent: Does your practice have a spiritual or religious component?

Answer: Absolutely NOT. Your family traditions, culture, and spiritual identity are your personal sanctuary.

Our program focuses on the physiological component of living, and it is fully inclusive and non-judgmental. As a matter of fact, we train and practice respect, inclusivity, and compassion for one another.

We eventually aim to see each other as human beings with whom we explore together, learn together, grow together.