People ask me why I practice martial arts. They never like my answer. Do I like to fight? No. Am I afraid of being attacked? No. Am I a health nut? No. Do I like wacky uniforms, bare feet, gongs, and incense? No. Actually, I don’t like any of those things. Especially bare feet. The…
Tag: self-knowledge
Why I Practice Martial Arts and Not Yoga
Martial arts and yoga share many similarities. √ Both seek to connect, or yoke, the mind, body, and spirit. √ Both improve flexibility and strength through movement and breathing. √ Both come wrapped in the mystique of exotic times and places. √ Both have lineages spanning decades, centuries, or—depending on your faith in legends—thousands of years….
#9: Smash Through the Maze [Podcast]
Welcome to Episode #9 of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, Smash Through the Maze! Setting goals is simple…but reaching goals can be complicated! You might feel lost in a maze of obstacles. You might even want to give up. But before you fall to the ground and claw at the dirt to bury…
Is That the Real You or Just Window Dressing?
On a vacation stroll through the historic neighborhoods of Savannah, GA, my eyes were drawn to a pair of weathered, blue shutters. They caught my eye because they were attached to a home with hinges, not screws or nails. In short, these were real shutters. Where I grew up, shutters were merely for show, a…
Sting Like a Bee: Tips for the Little Guy
Muhammad Ali described his boxing style with the famous phrase: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Did you ever wonder why a heavyweight boxer would compare himself to a tiny bumblebee? The average bumblebee weighs about five hundredths of a gram. They say a queen bumblebee weighs almost a full gram, but no one’s…
#5: Tips for the Little Guy [Podcast]
Welcome to the fifth episode of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, Tips for the Little Guy! Ever feel like the little guy? Ever feel like you don’t have a chance against the big guys? Then this show is for you! Drawing inspiration from the humble bumblebee, Ando covers six tips and tactics to…
Are You a Fighter?
When I started Kung Fu, my teacher asked me a simple question: “Are you a fighter?” I answered immediately, “No.” A strange response from someone who had already earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and had been studying martial arts for several years. But the way I was raised, being called a fighter…