Archive for May, 2010

One of the many things that I am interested in and involved in is women’s self defense. I first took up the sport of martial arts when I moved to Connecticut in 2003. It was a great way to meet new people, learn new things and get some exercise in the process. What I didn’t expect to receive was a life-changing experience.

As a young girl, I grew up hearing many well-meaning cautions like “don’t talk to strangers,” “beware of bad men” and “don’t go out alone at night.”, ” Stay in groups – there’s safety in numbers.” I remember after college, when I was sharing a flat in San Francisco with my friend Sally, I used to barricade my bedroom door with furniture, to prevent an intruder from attacking me at night. Sally, on the other hand, had experienced a house fire when she was a young girl. She wanted all the passage ways clear so she could safely escape the building. We were an odd couple.

When I first went to New York City after graduating from college, I walked around the city expecting to be mugged. I packed my purse carefully, leaving out the special things that I didn’t want to lose. I imagine that my body language must have been a dead give away to the people around me. “She is scared.” Thankfully, nothing bad happened.

It took me until I was 40 years of age until I tackled that fear and began to learn some self-defense techniques and practice them until they became second nature (that’s on on-going goal!). I found my voice and learned to use it to create more power and energy in my movement. I learned to stand tall and look people in the eye. My posture is much more confident now, since I learned the defensive stance. I am a very different woman than the one that was cowering around the New York city streets some 20 years ago.

On February 14, 2009, my husband Byron and I tested for our black belts in Tae Kwon Do (the art of punching and kicking). We were granted the award on May of that year. (photo shown here was during my black belt test, demonstrating a self defense move with the help of my friend Dorien Boon van ostade). After seven years of study and regular attendance, I had not only achieved this unexpected goal, but I had found a new passion: helping other women and girls find their voice and learn to defend themselves.

You’re Invited

To that end, I invite all the women and girls who are reading this blog (and the people who really care about them) to join me on Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 2:00-4:00pm in Canton, Connecticut for an introductory women’s self defense workshop. Read the rest of this entry »