Kyoshi Wai-Kwong Kwok

The greatest challenge for me as I prepare for my godan test is in just getting to class. However, if I have learned anything from karate and from raising a family, I have learned the importance of ‘patience’ and ‘taking the broad view’. Anything that is worth achieving or perfecting requires patience, diligence and a broad view to meet the challenge. Karate as a lifelong practice will not be defeated by the vagaries of work schedules and traffic.

In fact, I often apply my karate training and philosophy to my professional life. The surprising parallels between science and karate help me continue along both paths. … When we have setbacks, and there are many, I rely on the Osu Shinobu spirit and Konki, which have sustained me over the years. When working in the lab …, I think of Renma. When we make new discoveries, they often emerge from taking the wide view as in Taikyoku. Thus, while my curiosity about science drives my research, my karate training has always provided the spirit to keep me going.

Kyoshi Marla Cohen

I began training in Seido karate in the fall of 1989 when I was 34 years old. This past November I turned 60. Needless to say over the past 26 years I have matured and aged as we all do through our lives, as it’s inevitable. I feel that I am extremely blessed to have been able to continue my martial arts training for these past years. I attribute much of that to the values of Seido Karate that Kaicho reinforces of safety, respect towards each other, and Seido being a practice for all ages. …

On a physical level, Seido karate has helped my body age with many physical qualities such as flexibility, strength and balance. On a emotional level my training goes much deeper. It has forced me to focus my mind and pay attention to areas I have struggled with for much of my life. Seido karate has also helped me push myself beyond the “less than potential” limitations that I tend to set for myself. There have been many personal transformations through my karate practice especially with the community of people that I have come to know at Thousand Waves.

Sensei Jean Petersen

One of the things that karate emphasizes is “showing strong spirit”. There are so many reasons why this is important, but one of the reasons that stands out as the most important to me is that showing strong spirit can be a way for practicing how to be brave. Showing strong spirit when I am doing a kata or sparring or other physical challenge, especially when I am feeling nervous or hurt inside, has helped prepare me to show strong spirit in other situations when I am feeling scared or overwhelmed. And somehow, trying to look strong or confident on the outside has often made me feel stronger and more confident on the inside. I’ve tried to practice this on my job too. Since I am one of the more senior librarians in the department I work in, I often have to handle complaints from library patrons. Handling complaints is not something that I like to do, because even though I can often use de-escalation skills to calm the patron down and solve the problem, sometimes the skills do not work and the situation becomes confrontational. Still, I’ve found that speaking politely but firmly (showing strong spirit) even though I am shaking inside, has made things much easier when I have had to deal with these confrontations. I’ve found that the more I have practiced showing strong spirit in karate and in these situations, the more confidence I have.

Sensei Jo Willis

While I was on vacation, I attempted to try my new swimming skills in an 11-lane state-of-the-art competition pool. It was during the daytime, and I was alone. I felt intimidated. In actuality, I felt FEAR. ...

Here’s the thing: I am rarely afraid. I have found it hard to relate to people who are fearful, particularly on the karate floor. Once during my early color belt training, in a sparring class, Jun Shihan Sarah asked everyone to raise their hand if they felt fear. Everyone raised his or her hand, except for me. She raised her own hand, and acknowledged that it was an emotion common to everyone (“Except for Jo, who is not in touch with her fear.”) We all laughed.

My experience of fear during this attempt to swim in this pool was an important experience for me. I learned that in that vulnerable state, I can ask for assistance, and it is available. In addition, by the lifeguard’s example, I learned how to assist others who are feeling deeply fearful. I also can more easily relate to and assist other students who feel fear during their training.

Sensei Erin Marks

Teaching requires me to consider the appropriate advice for each person at each moment, and to leave my own feelings out of it. I’ve come to recognize personal attachment to the outcome as being a major component of “helping badly.” If my partner is already frustrated with a particular exercise, adding my frustration to the scenario isn’t doing anyone any good. On the other hand, if I can see where my partner is getting frustrated and offer a simple and clear suggestion as to how to improve the situation, I feel like I’ve done the best I can. I am slowly learning that the outcome of our interaction is less important than how we’re relating to each other. My piece of advice that I’m so proud of may or may not be helpful right now, but my calm and cheerful attitude will almost always be. It also helps to remind myself that every moment is the perfect moment for something. I just have to discover what.

Mostly I’m working on maximizing my time. This has nothing to do with a “getting things done” kind of attitude, although that’s certainly not a bad thing to have. What I’m talking about is making the most of every moment by noticing the tiny amazing things that are happening. It’s actually a very simple (although sometimes extremely difficult) thing to do. … So instead of racing around trying to solve a problem and making everybody, including myself, miserable, I can just try to be in the situation. Often things are already exactly the way they’re supposed to be. I just hadn’t noticed. Practicing in this way, the world gradually starts to become more and more perfect.

Sensei Alan Miller

The Marine Corps has many famous sayings but the one that most accurately describes the journey the Corps inspires in everyone is that “Marines must adapt and overcome.” Unlike the usual conditions of war and loss that the saying refers to, I had to adapt and overcome my own personal shortcomings. … This self-improvement was a process I had only ever done in karate before, and after two decades of trying was finally able to apply across my whole life. I ended my active military service with several meritorious promotions, a pair of commendations for excellence in my field, and in the best shape of my life. Despite such high praise for my service, the most important parts were the times when I failed to win a meritorious promotion board or when I struggled to learn a new piece of equipment. I finally learned to use the moments of failure I had as the learning opportunities they are.

When that feeling of failure presses in I remind myself that I have gone backwards in some respects, but that sometimes we must in order to continue forward. This time I am open to taking chances and confronting the obstacles life will set in my path. I no longer feel the need to avoid potential conflict and I am looking forward to a new stage in my life. I am not sure exactly what it will hold but I know that I can face it, and that I will have plenty of people by my side that will help me when I struggle.

Sensei Susan Barney

Then one day, … I took a different route and walked past Thousand Waves Chicago Seido. The decal on the window displayed, “learn nonviolent forms of conflict resolution.” Intriguing, I thought. Resonating. l The long and the short of it was, I walked in, took a trial class and fell in love with the yelling, punching and kicking. What I experienced then, through karate, was a reconnection to my power, my fierceness, and my strong spirit. I felt free, eye of the tiger, bad ass, nothing’s gonna stop me, FIERCE. It felt like my spirit had gone from being curled up in the corner to standing up strong, hands on hips, head up, cape flying out behind me. Finally, I felt hope – tangible hope that stayed around and didn’t evaporate.

I’ve learned that there are multiple layers to core issues that repeatedly arise and each time it stares me in the face, if I’m looking back too, I see a different facet that brings me deeper understanding, deeper compassion. I’ve learned that, despite how many times I feel like I end up back at the same place, I’m not necessarily at square one. I’ve moved a little forward and I have a better perspective. … I recognize and fully understand that I need my karate training and my community to support me in my health and in facing all of life’s challenges and struggles. I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.