Fighting Yoga

Personally I am pleased and grateful to be able to say 'I have not been involved in a physical combat situation for twenty plus years'. Although I teach self defence, I did not decide to become a Self Defence Trainer because I was always getting attacked.

I have practiced Yoga for nearly twenty years and whilst I had frequently promised myself 'one day I will learn to fight' I hadn't done much about it. Yoga was my martial art and it kept me safe. I didn't want to learn a martial art or something similar which was going to take years and didn't really work in a real life potentially life and death situation.

What I wanted was a quick learn, inexpensive way of learning how to defend myself and my family. The thought of someone messing with one of our kids led me to take the matter seriously and really make the commitment to learn self defence.

I examined all of the systems and training courses I could find. The one I was looking for needed to be quick to learn, inexpensive and highly effective. Once I found the right system I trained and studied and trained and studied until I new my stuff.

After my first session I was a different person. I gained a large increase in confidence due to being better able to look after myself, and an increase in both mental and physical fitness levels. My awareness increased too.

Khrisha instructed Anjuna to fight. Zen Warriors, Sumarai... Immediately I knew that merging self defence fighting with yoga, tantra, meditation etc was working for me.

But I appreciate this is probably not the case for everyone. I guess typically yogis don't like to fight, or learn how to fight... But, what's typically got to do with anything? There is only now and you have to do what's right and true for you in this very moment. All I can say is that as a yogi learning to defend myself has made me feel a whole lot better. It works on the may and off!

Learning to fight is learning to fight. And it's good to know how to fight for Yoga right? Enlightenment I believe requires an effort & effort is fight, right?

There comes a time in all of our lives when we have to fight. Maybe not physically but certainly verbally and mentally and possibly even spiritually.

Life has within it injustice, aggression and hell. In my experience sometime or other we all have to fight with all of them. It's only dead fish that always go with the flow. Someone living in hell wants you to join them. Someone living in heaven wants you to join them. It helps to be aware of what's what and who's who. Your instinct is your best guide.

When someone is prepared to attack you, armed or unarmed, or break into your property knowing you are there, there's a good chance they don't care too much for your well-being or safety. You are responsible for yourself.

By learning self defence you will certainly learn how to fight. It may not be pretty or stylish but if you pick the right system it works. Your self defence training should also help you fight in other ways. With the unreasonable bank manager, wife, husband, friend...

I sincerely hope the majority of any self defence or martial art training you do will never need to be used in a real life situation. But it's better to have it & not use it than it is to need it & not have it, right?

Fighting is at one with Yoga. If you can not stand up and fight you are not the same sort of warrior as Arjuna. Being a Zen Warrior is a long way off... Fighting like a Ninja is just a dream... As Yoga gives you balance and peace so self defence gives you the ability to fight, on all levels.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this article & sweey yogis I hope you always fight for what's right. Fight for your yoga. Discipline is a fight. Yoga is a discipline, certainly in the early days, weeks and months at least.

To your health, wealth, enlightenment and safety.

OM SHANTI,

Johnathon Martin

bestchanceselfdefence.co.uk bestchanceselfdefence.co.uk

Johnathon Martin is the head trainer at BEST CHANCE SELF DEFENCE, West London.

To contact him of for further information on learning self defence please visit bestchanceselfdefence.co.uk bestchanceselfdefence.co.uk.