|
Words from Sabumnim
I would like to acknowledge Rogit Nagpal and Christa Victoria, two beautiful souls that have spent much time training at WMAC. They both left a special impression on many of our hearts before they passed on, leaving the world forever. And for those of you who are dealing with the loss of loved ones, I feel for you and you have my deepest condolences. No one can understand what great loss really feels like until they experience it for themselves, but know that you are not alone.

Christa Victoria - Listen to her music here
www.christa-victoria.com/musical_performances/

Rogit Nagpal
The years 2017 – 2021 are sure to be an unparalleled time of social, political and economic upheaval. You should make sure you take every precaution to guard the safety, security and well-being of yourselves and your loved ones. We are entering the most dangerous time in the history of America, not a time for any of us to be asleep at the wheel on the highway of life.
Be aware of all the signs along the way, but also be vigilant and shield yourselves from the mental and emotional chaos, with calmness, serenity, tranquility, peacefulness, joy and unclouded thoughts. Proper prayer, meditation and practice will give you a huge advantage.
|
|
January is White Belt Month
Once again we will be starting the year with white belt month. On the surface white belt month is about everyone wearing a white belt and reviewing the basics, but there is much, much more to white belt month. It’s a time of discovering and dealing with your greatest obstacle to learning martial arts. This great obstacle is called your ego.
It affects your hearing, your vision, your emotions, your thoughts, your judgment and your actions. The ego is skillful, crafty and elusive. Most of its power comes from psychological stealth: a small opponent is much more powerful than many large opponents.
White belt month is about discovering how you get in your own way when it comes to progress, not only in the martial arts but also in life. We live in a world where rank and title come before personal merit. This is the great disharmony and imbalance of our world. A person should come before rank, title or economic wealth because the person is who we are, and the rest is only a label.
The greatest richness you can possess can only be found and kept in the heart and soul. For many practicing martial arts, belt color can get in the way and become an obstacle for progress and personal fulfillment. The beginning white belt can speak humbly, where the Bodan ego may say “I’m hot shit, I understand it all now. I can design my own training. I’m better than most of the blackbelts. I know better than Sabumnim now!” Ego will always run amok. A huge ego will always create an energy field around it of discomfort, confusion, annoyance, distress and disharmony. No one wants to learn from, teach or practice with a person generating this kind of energy field. WMAC training is basically community based martial arts training, meaning that it is the whole community that contributes to and supports your martial arts progress. Thus, if one’s ego creates disharmony, internally or externally, they have little chance of success or a future here.

White belt month is also a time when I get to look deeper into the student and not be distracted by the color of their belt. There is much that is revealed when students wear their white belts that is not obvious at times when they wear their colored belt. This is also the best time for me to find suitable, acceptable and desirable assistant and future instructors. White belt month is also the best opportunity and time to learn and improve on being an excellent instructor.
Have you ever said to yourself “If I could only go back in time and redo…” or “I wish I had known back then what I know now”? You should seize it, embrace it and discover what rewards you can come away with from it, not only in your training, but also in your personal life.
|
|
|
|
|