Why I Love Taekwondo

 

My love of Taekwondo is simple. The more you practise the art, the better you become. I believe Taekwondo can heal and transform an individual.

The philosophy of Taekwondo is about becoming one with the universe: living in harmony with your surroundings and yourself. Taekwondo at its very core is about self-awareness, the Yin and Yang of universal harmony and balance, in which the passive and active, the feminine and the masculine, form one whole.

It’s when this balance falls out of whack that problems arise. We become unhealthy, heavier and depressed. When you repress your feelings you can’t control your responses to them. 

I live by the ancient philosophy of ‘hard training, easy combat’. 

When you challenge yourself in the dojang and genuinely take on your emotional enemies while training, and begin by preparing the mind for the ultimate – the only challenge, then everything in life becomes easier. The battle is over before it’s begun.

Inner awareness is the core of lasting change and fulfilment and I believe this body awareness is best taught through the mind, body, spirit approach of martial arts.

The art of Taekwondo begins with the individual and works to develop the character and positive moral and ethical traits of each practitioner upon this solid foundation. The individual warrior can then pass onto others, through teachings and personal actions, the principles they’ve learned through their training.

I aim to invigorate everyone i meet with my Taekwondo – be it my Ninjas on The Biggest Loser or kids in schools.

Taekwondo works to train you to self-mastery.  When you are the best you can be, everything in your world grows richer; relationships, career and health. Your Taekwondo training is a power that can affect the rest of the world. Through mastering the self, individuals unite and become a family; families bind together and form a community; communities merge and develop into nations and nations become healthier and more harmonious as a result. It’s the physical, mental and spiritual effort that you invest in your training that makes this possible and worthwhile.

The word ‘Taekwondo’ means foot, fist, art.  Art can be interpreted to mean 'a way of life'. Taekwondo, for me and my family, is a way of life. I will always do Taekwondo because it keeps me connected to myself, my family, my passions and my voice.