(no subject)

[em_h]

So ... if I were going to try to pursue doing some sort of martial arts class, anyone got ideas about which specific kind might work best for me?

And, Toronto people specifically (I know there aren't many on here), any ideas of good places? Ideally near the university, but near Bathurst and Queen might also work.

Comments

[boubabe.livejournal.com]

That is a complicated question. It's not just the martial art that you want to try to choose, but it is the gym/school/dojo as well.

In what are you interested? Self-defense? Fitness? Meditation/stress relief? I've had exposure to tai chi, karate and a self defense course that was taught by instructors who had studied a variety of martial arts (judo, kung fu and karate). Even within those martial arts, though, are a variety of styles and philosophies.

Maybe these links will help you:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Moore41.html
http://martialarts.about.com/od/styles/a/martialartstype.htm

The biggest thing, though, is finding a dojo where you feel comfortable and where you like the instructors. Even if you like the style of martial art, you will not want to go if you don't like the school.

I hope that helps!

[(Anonymous)]

Really, what it's about is physical/liturgical presence. I need to develop more of an ability to move, use my body, and occupy space expansively, confidently and gracefully. And martial arts training is one of the suggestions that keeps coming up as a strategy.

I tend to have a very tight presence. Sometimes it's very self-effacing and self-diminishing, other times (especially in liturgy) it's what's been described to me as "hyperfocussed guided missile on a trajectory." Neither of these is the ideal self-presentation for the priest-role.

Don't know if this sheds any further light. And honestly, my schedule is so complicated that it may not be a very realistic possibility anyway. But it's a thought.

Thanks for the links ...

[em-h.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was me of course. I didn't realize I wasn't logged in.

[boubabe.livejournal.com]

No worries. Based on what you said, I think I'd recommend trying out tai chi. It's about grace and body awareness, but it also has a meditative aspect that may be nice to have in your otherwise whirlwind of a life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi_chuan

Tai Chi Links - Toronto

[boubabe.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind I know nothing about any of these places (when I did my tai chi course, it was through the university here):

http://toronto.taoist-tai-chi.org/content/standard_ca_to.asp
http://www.torontotaichimeditationcentre.com/
http://taichi.sa.utoronto.ca/UTTCC.html
http://www.taichitoronto.ca/