1. How would you define your personal practice?
My personal practice is ever evolving. Like an amoeba moving slowly forward as viewed under a microscope. Balance, strength, mobility, coordination and sequencing etc…each tenet gets addressed. The equivalency of the sum of the parts makes for a greater entity. That entity being myself exploring and savoring the journey.
2. What turning points have you encountered on your movement journey?
I initially was a track and field sprinter. Adept. But through time I have come to realize the solitary discipline of practice shaped my physical discipline. More than the actual competition. Running in the rain, out at the track at night while my peers were at parties, slogging through the snow, sprinting in the halls after school. But sprinting and knees are not necessarily the best dance partners. I then pursued bodybuilding attempting like a sculptor through toil to reshape my physique. From there the journey went into martial arts, various disciplines, black belts, self study taking techniques from different styles to define into my own.
My movement turning point was in reading a quote on Jon Yuen’s webpage: “Your body is an instrument. One that you can improve and tune to your hearts content, but at some point you’re going to want to learn how to actually play it. I took an objective look at myself, thought my musical instrument was off key, and started this movement adventure.
3. What role has injury played in cultivating your current niche?
I have been fortunate, knock on wood (insert audible sound of knocking) to never have had a major injury but a series of set backs physically here and there. With those set backs I tried, emphasis on tried, to use that as a catalyst to explore concepts I might have other wise. To make small victories along the path, merely an obstacle in the journey either to go through or around. But not back.
4. Do you consider yourself a teacher? Why or why not?
I consider myself a teacher of sorts and a student. I currently work in home health physical therapy so help and teach my patients. Also the guy in my gym who does the variety of “weird exercises” that people will ask what I am doing and what hoping to achieve. As a teacher is also a great inward experience of self in learning. So both teacher and student in that regard. I could be described as having a quest for knowledge similar to a person crawling through the desert searching to satiate an unquenchable thirst. Like trying to grasp the wind, it will never fully occur, but oh so worth the effort entailed!
5. What has been your experience with physical education, both in the schooling system and sought out knowledge/ know-how elsewhere?
My physical education classes encompassed the teacher trying to devise activities where the students did not destroy each other in the process. Flag football, basketball, epic failures. Hockey, with plastic sticks and a red “Spaulding” emblazoned upon your skin afterwards. Dodge ball the epitome of survival of the fittest with no logic. Personal journey wise In seeking out knowledge, as mentioned previously, is a never ending quest. Explore concepts, disparate disciplines, and see what happens. Many times the conclusion is not the expectation. There is joy in that.
6. How do you involve your mind/ emotions into your physical routines?
Mind-emotions/physical are a symbiotic relationship. Each a vital nutrient in feeding the other to grow.
My personal aspirations or goals is an amorphous movement practice. Unable to be clearly defined as it continues to morph and change. Interweaving concepts, redetermining concepts, and forever on the knowledge pilgrimage. The destination is to always progress aspects of improving the definition of movement self. But the instruments and pathways to acquire that destination will forever be augmented. If enlightenment is obtained than what is next? That is one conclusion I will never reach and I do not wish to explore.
8. How can people find/ contact you? Do you have a site or social media handle to share?
I can be contacted on Instagram @zenkeigo1.
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