Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Tai chi and Qigong classes will begin in June and will be held on
Tuesdays at noon and Saturday mornings at 8:00 am. Tai Chi is
actually a form of Qigong, but has martial arts applications as well.
There are several styles of Tai Chi, but the Wu style is excellent at
the self-defense applications and healing aspects and that is what we
will be working on.

The main dojo will be closed the 24th, 25th and 26th for the Memorial
Day holiday. Hope everyone has a great 3 day weekend.

The next belt test is scheduled for May 31st at the main dojo.

Mark your calendars – Saturday July 5th we will be hosting a training
camp up in Crystal Park. Training in the morning, a cookout at the
clubhouse at noon and then a mountain hike in the afternoon for those
interested. A $25 charge will cover the training, clubhouse fee and
food. No extra charge for the clean air and beautiful view.

Lesson Of The Week

The Law of Attraction

There is an old saying that states, "When you are ready to learn a
teacher will appear." Or another saying related to this topic, "What
goes around, comes around." Well there is a lot of truth to that. I
truly believe that things are brought into our lives based on our
mental thoughts and attitudes. Each of us is in more control of
opportunities and relationships than we understand.
Have you ever bought a new car, only to begin driving around and
seeing that same type, model and color everywhere. That is because
once something is in our subconscious; the mind begins looking for
other thing related to that. It becomes important and therefore the
subconscious mind begins looking. This is how clearly defined and
written goals work. Once we have identified exactly what it is we
want, the subconscious mind begins looking for solutions and
opportunities. All of a sudden, the answers seem to be everywhere.
This idea works on a personal level as well. We tend to attract
others into our lives that demonstrate the same values and ideas that
we hold. If you are positive and action oriented, then you will
attract those same people around you. At the same time, if you are
down and unhappy, those are the people that will be attracted to you
and you will see more and more problems coming your way.
From the martial arts perspective, the life energy that flows through
our body is called Qi or Chi in Chinese terminology. When one is
sick, they are said to have weak chi and when they are healthy they
are seen as having good chi that is flowing fluidly through the body.
This chi projects an atmosphere or aurora around a person that
animals and human beings can detect. They can tell if you are a good
person and mean them no harm, if they listen to their senses. In our
women's self defense seminars we emphasis that if someone or some
situation feels wrong, listen to your senses. Senior martial artists
have been known to sense danger well in advance and through changing
their course of action, have prevented a potentially dangerous
situation and eliminated the need to use their physical martial arts
techniques.
The way you see the world is also reflected in this energy that other
people feel. If you are optimistic and friendly, they will sense
that. They will also sense when you are angry or having a bad day as
well.
Our martial arts training is similar in nature. Some see the martial
arts as a physical way of beating someone up. Others see it as a
method where one never has to be in a fight at all. Karate-jitsu is
the science of combat and the senior practitioners are experts of
ending a confrontation quickly and effectively. A Karate-do
practitioner believes that the effectiveness of the techniques are
secondary to the positive characteristics developed through the
training – honor, integrity and our relationships with others. Now
the Yin-Yang theory would indicate to us that either side is probably
not the answer but a blending of these two concepts is probably the
correct path for each of us. What is the correct path for you? I
would remind you though, that based on the law of attraction, if you
see the martial arts as a method of self-defense only, then it would
probably indicate more conflict would enter your life. If on the
other hand, you see the martial arts as a positive force used to
develop positive qualities in yourself and others, then you will see
more benefits come your way.
Why do you train? Who are you hoping to surround yourself with as you
attract other people and opportunities into your life? The way you
perceive the world will dictate what flows your way.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan