FCMA workshop countdown - 1 day until Radically Embodied Compassion...

Greetings All,

Just ONE day to go now until the Radically Embodied Compassion experience! We’ve got such an exciting day of martial arts-inspired activities that we hope will help you further develop the compassionate abilities of your Professional and Personal selves.

Our final motivational intention-setting quote and compassionate wisdom comes from the great Bruce Lee:

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

Bruce Lee

This sets us up nicely for the workshop, where we will be focused on helping each other get out of the mind and into the embodied, to translate what we know into wise courageous action.

Be ready to train fiercely, wisely and playfully!

Neil and Syd

Bruce Lee quote.jpg

FCMA workshop countdown - 2 days until Radically Embodied Compassion...

Hey Everyone,

We’re just two days away from an action-packed day of training, where we’ll integrate Martial Arts and Compassion Focused Therapy to experience Radically Embodied Compassion.

In the spirit of integration, Day Four’s (of Five) intention-setting quotes come from the the classic text ‘Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere’ by Adele Westbrook and Oscar Ratti:

“Aikido…is a Discipline of Coordination, a way of strengthening the mind and body, of fusing the individual’s physical and mental powers so that he/she will emerge as a more fully integrated human being.”

and

“It [Aikido] requires an ethical intention. Man/Woman must sincerely desire to defend themselves without hurting others…we must be well on the way towards integration of mind and body, of physical means and ethical motives…whilst helping others develop theirs as well.”

Westbrook & Ratti (1970)

This speaks to the the central premise of the FCMA approach, of training and harmonising our whole selves (body and mind), that is indicative of and culminates in radically embodied compassion. And at the seat of it all is our compassionate motivation and Compassionate Self, guiding and coordinating our engagement and actions…

Wishing you all a harmonious Wednesday!

Neil and Syd

FCMA workshop countdown - 3 days until Radically Embodied Compassion...

Hi All,

Three days to go now until Radically Embodied Compassion is unleashed - we hope our excitement and enthusiasm is palpable!

Continuing our intention-setting countdown, today’s compassionate wisdom comes from renowned and respected Taekwondo author Master Doug Cook, taken from his superb book ‘Traditional Taekwondo: Core Techniques, History, and Philosophy’:

“For decades, traditional Taekwondo has been the perfect medium for cultivating inner strength…the more frequently one trains and becomes proficient in the martial arts, the more one discovers that they have less to defend against. Confidence begins to replace fear.”

Doug Cook (2006)

This speaks to the importance of how our own personal training and practice helps develop the flow of compassion, as a vehicle for developing compassionate qualities of courage, quiet confidence, patience and determination that benefits ourselves and others.

See you soon,

Neil and Syd

FCMA workshop countdown - 4 days until Radically Embodied Compassion...

Hey Everyone,

Four days to go now until our ‘Radically Embodied Compassion’ workshop in Derby on Friday 21st February.

As we continue our countdown, here’s Day Two (of Five) of motivational and inspirational quotes to help set (y)our compassionate intentions before we arrive and commence training together.

Our second pearl of wisdom comes from Charles Hackney’s brilliant book, ‘Martial Virtues: Lessons in Wisdom, Courage, and Compassion from the World’s Greatest Warriors’:

“Compassion…is a central motivational feature in the warrior’s life…a compassionate warrior is one who acts out of a desire to alleviate the suffering of others, or to spare others from the suffering that would result from victimisation.”

and

“Without sufficient courage, the [compassionate] desire to see an end to the suffering of others is not translated into action.”

Charles Hackney (2010)

This resonates with the central philosophy of FCMA and of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), in seeing compassion as a motive guiding our engagement and action, and at its core lies courage.

Wishing you all a courageous and tranquil Monday,

Neil and Syd

FCMA workshop countdown - 5 days until Radically Embodied Compassion...

Hey all!

It’s now five days to go until our inaugural ‘Radically Embodied Compassion’ workshop, hosted by the wonderful folk at the Compassionate Mind Foundation:

https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/workshops/radically-embodied-compassion-incorporating-martial-arts-in-cft

As such, here at FCMA we’ve decided to share some motivational and inspirational quotes over the next five days that will help set (y)our compassionate intention before attending the workshop (or indeed future workshops).

Our first quote comes from Roy Kenneth Kamen’s excellent book, ‘Karate: Beneath The Surface’:

“The purpose of studying [Martial Arts] is not to learn how to fight. Fighting is only a means to an end. The purpose is to become compassionate. You must be fearless to be truly compassionate. It is a path to enlightenment.”

Roy Kenneth Kamen (2017)

Many of the ideas Roy explores and extols in his book chime with our philosophy at FCMA, in helping us become as fearlessly compassionate human beings as we can, where we can embody a “I do not fear you. I have compassion for you.” (Kamen, 2017) stance.

Compassionate Best,

Neil and Syd

Ghostly goings on

Hi there,

I've just found this blurry picture of Phil Norman and I, from some Ghost Martial Arts training a few years ago. It made me smile (Phil’s a very funny guy) and think about how varied the martial arts are. As a result, we've so much choice in how and what we train. Moreover, there are some really good instructors out there and Phil’s one of them.

Somewhat uniquely, Phil’s Ghost system focuses on developing dynamic elusive movement first and striking second. It's recognised as being unorthodox, due to the regular boxing structure giving way to more elusive shapes and as a result new and unusual striking angles which are difficult to counter. It really is something!

It's a great workout and aims to stay within contact range, while also staying safe.

As such, it's very FCMA friendly.

Do look into this is you're curious (https://philnormanmartialarts.com/ghost/) and of course approach Neil and I for more on the various styles and systems that we've sampled as part of FCMA.

Train wisely.

Syd

Ghost Phil and Syd.jpg

Working with Warriors

Hi,

I'm currently reading Dennis Martin's book Working with Warriors. It's a true life account of his early years working the doors of various nightclubs in Liverpool with fellow martial artists Terry O'Neil and Gary Spiers.

It's a no punches pulled account of real-time violent encounters from the perspective of Traditional Karate men of their time.

It focuses on the adaptation of formal drills and technique to fit the street, with the confines of limited space to move, multiple opponents and limited or no preparation time.

It's great to have such material to read and reflect on. Dennis went on to become a leading figure in the bodyguard world and still publishes and teaches to this day.

The fierceness and courage displayed by these men, while also retaining a sense of personal honour and martial code makes for a good blend of no-nonsense martial spirit and context.

Its made me think alot about how we best fit what we do in FCMA to our surroundings, be they environmental, social or interpersonal (in the case of therapy).

Best wishes and here's to a safe, fierce and compassionate 2020!

Syd

Working with Warriors.jpg

Meeting of minds (Chris and Gabo)

Hi all,

After much discussion and organising Neil and I were able to meet with Chris Irons and Gabo Weiss (20th December 2019) in London. Thanks to Chris for hosting and to Gabo for travelling in from Israel!

We've been looking forward to meeting for some time now, once Chris told us of Gabo's interest in the martial arts and CFT (so right up FCMA's street).

We talked about a host of topics including intrapersonal conflict and fears blocks and resistances, in the sense that traditional martial arts aren't really about violence, more about its resolution/management. This can be a tricky concept for non-martial artists to grasp initially but is well worth grappling with.

We talked about varying elements of the CFT Threat system (both external and internal) that can be enacted in the face of conflict, before exploring an embodied experience of static stances from Traditional Karate (Gabo), Wing Chun (Syd) and Taekwondo (Neil).

Chris mentioned some research he's interested in conducting around therapist preparation for clinical sessions, which we related to assuming a 'ready' pre-stance attitude in martial arts. We discussed how this also relates to empathic bridging (see the second Chum Kui form in Wing Chun) and that once 'in touch' we are able to try and stay with distress/movement from a position of relational safeness (and physical safety).

Chris highlighted how many elite sportspeople prepare for each training session, in a way that is much less focused upon in therapy. We can likely learn much from this and the Traditional martial arts have a lot to offer here too.

Following on from this we discussed the idea of warming-down or ending an encounter, which again is formalised within most martial arts (bow, salute etc) but is typically not given much consideration in therapy.

We ended the day with a trip to a local pub (see picture) for well-earned beer.

Overall then, what a fantastic opportunity to meet a fellow martial artist with a long and rich history in his art. We hope to meet up again soon and are very much looking forward to the English translation of Gabo's book, which should be out early to mid 2020 (watch this space for more).

Here's wishing you all a peaceful holiday season.

Syd

Gabo Chris and Syd no beer 20th Dec 2019 pic.jpg

FCMA online interview with Deirdre Fay

Hey everyone,

We had the honour recently of being interviewed by the amazing Deirdre Fay about the philosophy of FCMA. Deirdre is renowned for her work in using yoga to help people become more safely embodied and heal from trauma, and trains many therapists in these embodied approaches.

During our conversation, we explored the concept of Radically Embodied Compassion as experienced and cultivated through the martial arts, the importance of fierce compassion, and how martial arts can help therapists/clinicians resolve conflicts affiliatively.

You can check out the interview on YouTube here:

https://youtu.be/NzNCG6TnqeU

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!

Peace,

Neil and Syd