My karate journey began as self-defence but has grown to become empowering: mentally, physically and spiritually.
In February 2017, I attended the self defence classes by Kyoshi Rahul in the club near my house and I got the opportunity to try out his full-fledged classes the following May.
I'm now a convert for life.
I found the karate classes to be the perfect mid-point between yoga, cardio & strength training. They hit that sweet spot of building stamina, strength and flexibility in one go. Not to mention, punching, kicking and blocking strikes of real opponents made close combat practise feel like playing physical chess. Exactly the mental and physical workout I was looking for.
More than a year into the classes, my abs are getting tighter, kicks stronger, and knuckles tougher. That is hardly comparable to the inward growth though. If there was a way to slow down our speeding-bullet lifestyles, this is it.
It may have begun as fitness or a sport but at the end of the day, karate is a martial art, something which has to be precise to be effective and yet have a certain grace about it, a flow, to be efficient. It is about balancing the emotional and physical aka yin and yang. This may seem quite woo woo but yoga and fitness freaks will attest to how being fit translates into our personal lives too. Karate takes it to another level.
Karate also goes hand in hand with Zen. We have the opportunity to meditate in zazen every week and carry out the same meditation practise that samurais would. A humbling experience, it brings the experience full circle.
I have the privilege of training with black and brown belts half my size and age as well as double my size and age. In short, we're all part of the same team and this class is one size fits all. There are school kids, pilots, lawyers, doctors, editors and teachers whom I rub knuckles with every week and make up the motley crew in the Club 15A dojo.
If you're ready for a transformation of the karate kid kind too, get in touch and I'll connect you with Kyoshi for a free class. All shapes, sizes and ages welcome :)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seidokaratenoida/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seido_karate_noida/
My fiction book Adulting published by HarperCollins India is out on Amazon.