G HUMAN -THE MARTIAL ARTS WAY
By Annika Kahn
Jungshin’s credo
I stand with balance and control (warrior stance and sword upright) (S)
I honor my own and other’s space and distance (bow with sword) (SW)
I ground to internal power and strength (skylift with sword) (W)
I trust in my higher power’s pattern and timing (moving meditation) (NW)
I am of service to myself and others with proper coordination and intent (kneel bow into pivot
strike) (N)
I apply relaxation and focus in times of chaos and unrest (sitting meditation) (NE)
I work on speed and self-development daily (combat flow) (E)
I know a good life is all about right attitude and approach to all people places and things
(horse stance holding sword, blade faces you) (SE)
“For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his and her life until
self-searching becomes a regular habit, until he|she is able to admit and accept what he|she
finds, and until he|she patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.” –a modern day
martial artist.
(AK-add in Bruce Lee’s Warrior within and Bryan Swimme-re: the dao of the universe)we
humans grow out of the universe
The NOW is the DAO
SETTING THE SPACE
Before introducing the Jungshin practice, let’s take a moment to orient ourselves to the present time and place. This is similar to entering our dojo or dojang, leaving our egos and the outside world at the door to the studio. We know that this is important to do because, 1) we are three dimensional beings interacting through a two dimensional platform (zoom) so we must assess, position ourselves appropriately, and find our mind and body connected. And 2) both our plight and gift as humans is the ability to self-reflect. Our ability to do the right thing is enhanced when we look at the big picture. For me, seeing the big picture is always humbling and sometimes scarily mind-blowing. We are only a spec on a clover, like the Whos in Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Suess. It is our ability to learn, our willingness to adapt, the magical ability of our mind to cling to the past, jump into a made-up future and then bring it back to the present, that makes us human.
“Simply to let the world know that our country always has been a land of hero-sages.”
-Yi-Kyu-bo, 1168-1241, quote from Master Barry Harmon’s book, 5000 years of Korean Martial Arts.
While this quote is from thousands of years ago, I think it is relevant today because it reminds us that people, and martial artists in particular, have always had the capacity to respond, to find inner stillness, to listen to the whispers in the wind, and to assess the next best move. Today, the world is facing a pandemic, the loss of precious lives and business, and the stress and pain that comes with that loss. We have the responsibility as trained warriors to help those who do not have these skill sets. We have the magic of martial arts.
For thousands of years, teachings, scriptures, and lessons were passed down orally from teacher to student and on and on. Many precious writings were lost or destroyed from time and wars. So we know how valuable it is to hear the lesson from our teacher. This oral tradition is sacred and has been handed down since prehistory. We have this in our martial art heritage. OUR GIANT HISTORY-putting things in perspective
Timeline
1. 444 million years ago: First mass extinction (Ordovician) -Yes, there was life on earth! (plants,bugs, and sea creatures mainly)
2. 372-300 million years ago: One land, one ocean. (land plants and ocean dwellers, forests).
3. 252 million years ago: Considered the worst mass extinction to date. (dragon flies, beetles, lizards, mammals, insects were all wiped out along with plants)
4. 201 million years ago: Rise of the first dinosaurs, crocodiles, birds, reptiles, and more complex plants.
5. 65 million years ago: Most recent mass extinction, extinction of the dinosaurs.
6. Today: Modern scientists suggest we are in the midst of the sixth mass
extinction. (Holocene extinction, many species of frogs and bees already wiped out, climate change causing extreme weather patterns, etc.)
From 300 million to 60 million years ago, the earth slowly shifted to our current
geography: seven continents
LEAPING into the HUMAN – Jumping 55 million years ahead – a tiny slice of a large timeline.
1. 5.3 million years ago Asia separated from Africa.
To date (21st first century CE) Europe and Asia share the same tectonic plates. They are not separated by a sea.
2. First humans 2-6 million years ago on African continent (approx 15-20 different species of humans up to homo-sapiens sapiens.)
3. 2.5 million-5,000 years ago, modern humans (stone-age considered “pre-history”) saw the rise of Asian, African, Greek, Indian, and Mesopotamian (middle-eastern) martial arts. Dharma brought Buddhism to China by India.
4. 40,000 years ago (approx) first Native Americans aka-the first Americans. The first “white” Americans came from Europe approx 10 thousand years ago.
5. Post industrial revolution (18th century) but pre-penicillin (20th century), a few fitness gyms appeared first in Europe and Russia and then in North America. However, it was after the discovery of penicillin that American martial arts and fitness centers began to flourish. No matter what your sacred martial arts training has been,(and if you are new to martial arts and just embarking on this life-changing practice you can find your lineage too) some time approximately 5000 years ago (or in the 2nd century BCE-2500
year before the common era) the rise of Asian and African martial arts began.
RIGHT SIZED
In comparison to the ancient practices, martial arts forms developed in North and South America are young, less than 200 years old.
A side note, but significant in terms of our place in time: there are many martial arts practiced in North America that are not American. In fact, the ancient martial arts did not arrive in North America until Europe had invaded and Native Americans were
slaughtered, pushed-out, since the 15th century. However, because I identify as a North American who studied Korean martial arts I would like to contrast these ancient studies with the very recent “created” American martial arts (since the 1930s, approximately 3,070 years from the dawn of Asian martial arts. I am excluding Russian boxing, fencing, wrestling. These also have long long lineages. There are too many ancient martial arts to list here. The following are some that have
made their way to the Americas. important as men, if not more, because women guarded the home, often concealing weapons within their clothing. If they had to use them it meant the men on the battle ground had not survived. 2 By American martial arts, I mean martial arts taken from Asian martial arts and developed or “templated” in the Americas. 3 It is not intentional to leave any other significant art out. If I have done so it is an author’s error
TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS and their ancient roots
Kuk Sool Won (Korean traditional)
Tai Chi (Chinese)
QiGong (Chinese)
Karate (many forms, Japanese)
Tae Kwon Do (from Tang Soo Do, from Japanese Shotokan Karate)
Aikido (Japanese)
Hapkido (Korean word for Aikido)
Muay Thai (Thailand)
Judo (Japanese)
Kung Fu (Chinese)
Krav Maga (Israeli: a fighting system in Bratislava 1930’s) in order to help protect the
local Jewish community from the Nazi militia.
Jiu Jitsu (Brazilian, Japanese)
Eskrima (Filipino)
Some American or non-traditional martial arts and categories of martial arts developed in the Americas include:
1. American Kenpo (templated from Japanese martial arts)
2. Tae Bo (Billy Blanks templated from Japanese martial arts and boxing)
3. Budokon (templated from Japanese martial arts and yoga)
4. Chun Kuk Do (Chuck Norris system templated from Korean martial arts)
5. Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (templated from Japanese, Chinese, Korean,
and Israeli martial arts)
6. Combat Hapkido (templated from Korean Hapkido)
7. Danzan Ryu (American hybrid from Brazilian martial arts, Jiu Jitsu)
8. Team Paul Mitchell (1987, templated from Japanese martial arts)
9. Jailhouse Rock (JHR is a martial arts system developed in the US prison system templated from Japan, Korean, China, Israel)
10.Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee’s martial art, templated from Chinese martial arts)
11.Kajukenbo (templated from Judo, Karate, Eskrima)
12.Jungshin Fitness (Annika Kahn, templated from Korean martial arts, meditation techniques, and physiology)
13.Kickboxing (templated from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese martial arts)
14.Small Circle Jiu Jitsu (hybrid of Jiu Jitsu and Judo)
Jungshin Fitness 2
A common point amongst us all is that unlike our modern gyms and commercial fitness clubs–which came into existence in the mid 1800s but really expanded after the discovery of penicillin where the focus was primarily on muscle tone and overall 4 physical health (not a bad thing!)–martial arts developed out of a need to connect with spirit, calm the mind, protect the tribe, and defend the kingdom. In response to these needs our core became toned, our focus sharp, our muscles firm, and our spirits calm.
HONORING THE LINEAGE
The Asian influence was strong in my life probably before birth. I was born into a loving family but my outer world was chaotic. My parents moved West from the East Coast for my father to teach Chinese History at Stanford University, where he taught
for over 30 years. My mother became one of the first female electricians at Bethlehem Steel Shipyards in San Francisco. I moved 6 times before I was 6 years old, including Taiwan and Japan. My search for grounding, sanctuary and inner-peace became important. I spent hours alone, and though I was smart and strong, I had low-self esteem. To combat this I discovered exercise and immersed myself in every sport I could find. A near-death accident brought me to trade math lessons for martial arts with Master Yogic Arts founder, Duncan Wong. We studied Bruce Lee and watched endless Bruce Lee movies. Duncan discovered a dojang in the Fillmore District in San Francisco (Kuk Sool Won) and told me I must go and speak to the “master.” This is where I met Master Sung Jin Suh, the son of the Grand Master of Kuk Sool Won, In Hyuk Suh. I ate, breathed, and lived Kuk Sool Won for 12 years, practicing 4-5 hours a day. I also met the father of my son, Master Hafez Adle. When I was three months pregnant, I competed in a short-sword form. A trying 56 hour labor, and fear that one of us might die, inspired Master Suh to give my son the middle name, Jung Shin which
translates as Straight Spirit, or Consciousness. More here if you are interested. (They say my son was born already a yellow belt!)
Kuk Sool Won saved my life. I was going down the wrong path and Master Suh brought me into the light with his kind and gentle way of teaching. I learned to apply the concept of Yu Won Hwa: Yu (flowing as in water), Won (everyone has his or her ow“private space” and attacks within this space should be redirected with flowing and circular defensive motions), and Hwa (harmony of body and mind) -KukSaNym, In Hyuk Suh.
4 There is historical evidence that the first structured exercise centers existed in 2000 BCE mainly in China, Korea,
Japan, and Egypt. The Greeks are known for making structured exercise competitive. In the book The Warrior Within, Bruce Lee describes the low self-esteem he experienced daily as an Asian American in Hollywood. He used his martial arts
practice to counter these inner demons of self doubt. The great Asian-American
martial artist and movie star used the dao of martial arts as a vehicle for his teachings
of his life philosophy. This is evident in every word Bruce Lee uttered. As martial artists we not only share a long long lineage of warrior ancestors, but we also know how to live in correct alignment, to proceed in right action, to calm our
inner nerves, to assess, to control our body and mind, to get into the “zone,” to know our space, to respect other people’s space, to cultivate focus and patience, energy manners, and spacial awareness. These are not skills to be taken for granted. They are cultivated through years and years of practice, attention and loyalty to the art. In fact, our forms, katas, or hyungs, are ways to prevent depression, anxiety, and fear. They force us to be in the present moment. It is very difficult to complete a form while texting and listening to music. Our forms bring us into a warrior space, and from here, we become better humans. The etiquette and energy manners that are required of us mean that we, today, have a skillset that can help others do the right thing. From the moment we are born we are inundated with external and internal stressors. Some common external stressors: falling when we are learning to walk, loud noises, hearing bad news, getting hit or yelled at, taking a test, being startled.
WHY JUNGSHIN?
Because…a drop of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Jungshin Fitness was born out of my practice in Kuk Sool Won, my background in mathematics and sports physiology, my education in philosophy and cosmology, and my many years of practice with Lynda Caesara in energy classes. Jungshin is not an ancient martial art, but it holds the qualities of the highest benefits of ancient martial arts. It has a martial arts track as well as fitness and mindfulness tracks. The long sword has 4 flows or sequences to it. The short swords have 4 to them. The long and short together have 4. This gives Jungshin Fitness 12 flows in total. It is an inclusive movement system that allows all humans to practice. It teaches a simple structure of 8 stances and 8 strikes, 8 warrior attributes, and 8 conditioning techniques that allows the student to experience the ancient benefits of martial arts using a fun tool, a wooden practice sword. You can learn more about the history of
Jungshin here.
GRACE AS A WARRIOR
In our modern lives, more than ever in my opinion, we need a global tribe of humans–perhaps the last of our species– to come together and do the right thing. We need to listen to one another, honor planet earth, our global sacred space, while we honor
our individual dojos. This is why I often say, IT’S AVATAR TIME. We are now EARTH WARRIORS. We are on the brink of extinction and the ONLY way we can make sure our planet is safe for our great great great grandchildren to come, and for seven more
generations, is if we call upon what we know as martial artists, today. Now.
If you have a sword of any kind, please go get it. If you do not, we will ask you to practice empty handed and we will show you how efficient Jungshin is.
Click here to order your own sword!
Stances and Strikes we will be using Stances
Chair: benefits digestion and cardio, quad strength
Horse: benefits kidneys, releases lower back, inner thigh toning
Warrior: benefits gut, protecting space, outer thigh/quad strength
Cat: benefits digestion, glutes, detox
Strikes
High Angle: targets shoulders, heart, back
Power: targets middle abdominals, Ki, biceps
Angle: (L, R) targets digestion, transverse abdominals
Upper: (L,R) targets kidneys, transverse abdominals, biceps
Pivot: targets heart (organ and muscle), ribcage, shoulders
To join the next seminar and training please click here and use EARTHWARRIOR as
your 20% off code.
