All Journal Entries (210)

I made this 7-page guide to help students and families that are working on leadership and community projects. It's designed to walk you through a project from start to finish. It also describes how a student can earn star patches to put on their karate uniforms by successfully documenting their project.

I wish that someone had given my a guide like this when I was a child to help with planning all of those school projects. My wish is that students find this guide useful for any…

One of the core philosophies of our dojo is "Out of the Dojo and Into the World" - i.e. taking what is taught in the dojo and applying it to our daily lives.  I believe the most important value taught in the dojo is that of respect.  Treating people with respect, both in and outside of the dojo, helps lead to positive interactions, and creates situations where we can appreciate and learn from others.

I see respect in the Dojo stem from Mr. Oliver's respect of the students and…

Recently, I have been directing weekly lessons to all of the assistant instructors at the school--things that we can all work on as teachers to make us better, our classes more engaging, and our dojo stronger. This is much like the training that my teachers, gave me. I thought I would share a recent lesson with the entire dojo to give you an idea of the kinds of things my "staff" of volunteers and I are working on:

The Core…

Reading “Karate-Do, My Way of Life” aloud to my girlfriend, while she painted, was of utmost pleasure to us both, and I could go into great length of reflection. In a number of chapters, for instance, Gichin Funakoshi describes the growth of a Karate novice, about the clearing of mind and about attaining a love for the process of personal growth and challenge, rather than a love of any subsequent accomplishment. I believe I have discussed these aspects to some length with you in person, so I…

Kaylee, a young student at our school, was recently featured in the latest newsletter for the Down Syndrome Information Alliance. The article is below, and discusses the work that she did.

Spotlight on Local Advocates: Kaylee Dinh and Sensei Oliver at Zen Martial Arts…

The beginning of the new year is always a great time for reflection. This last week in particular has been full of meditation.

Looking back on the last year, specifically the UBBT, I took on too much and too little at the same time. What I mean is I was capable of everything I committed to, but I was overconfident in my response to the unexpected life challenges. It was a big year last year. Just a few of the life changes: committed to UBBT Team 7, scheduled my life around the…

Our collective work on the book Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life starts today. (It's not too late to start btw, the ebook version is only $1.99) This week, read Chapter One: Ending Your Struggle with Weight. This is a substantial chapter that introduces some of the core concepts that will be expanded upon by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung as we progress.

No more…

This is our outline for eight weeks of reading and practice of the book Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. We will be reading one chapter per week. I've also broken up segments of dietary advice as well the moving and meditation practices into the 8-weeks. The goal being that by the end of that 8-weeks we will have made considerable inroads into being more mindful with our diet, and…

Getting kids and families having fun outside is important for many reasons. To name a few, exploring the outdoors leads to a greater appreciation for nature and natural beauty, enhances observation skills, increases environmental awareness, provides a venue for exploration, and teaches hands-on ecology and biology.

In order to help kids and families make the most of the outdoors, I am collecting fun and safe places to explore as part of my green belt project.  I am posting…

A handful of my adult students and a few parents of our little ones were intrigued when I mentioned a book on diet and mindfulness recently. Some of you even liked the idea of reading it together and sharing our notes and thoughts online--a good old fashioned book club. So here is our official…

One of the key principles of effective self-defense is to learn awareness. In our classes I have recently been talking about the color code system that we use to denote where we are in our internal and external awareness.

The bottom level of this color code is CODE WHITE.   This signifies someone who is completely unaware of what’s going on around them.  They are switched off and distracted.  This is exactly what a potential predator is looking for when they are looking for a…

These are some random acts of kindness I documented as part of a homework assignment.

1. I helped a copier technician load a machine into his truck when I saw he did not have a hand truck.
2. I brought paperwork down to our office secretary so that she did not have to walk the production floor.
3. I discussed classwork and gave study advice to a university student that was struggling with a class.
4. I opened a security gate for a co-worker when I saw that he…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:         

Mike Oliver, Lead Instructor/Owner

moliver@zenmartial.com

Zen Martial Arts (ZenMartial.com)

916-678-0565

Zen Martial Arts Kids Ask for Treats and Canned Food on Halloween

Local martial artists and the…

“WE’RE MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT”

R-WORD

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD

AWARENESS…

THE FIRST STEP TO CHANGE

Tuesday, Oct 4^th starting with the Little Dragons class we will meet the Sanchez family.

"Living life one day at a time as a family of…

September is right around the corner and for some reason that feels like "almost there" is getting really close. The end of August makes 9 months of 150 push ups a day, 150 crunches a day, 3 katas a day, logging stuff, thinking about projects and doing some projects... etc. 9 months worth of daily repetitions, daily consciousness. I feel like I should wear a bracelet that says WWBBD (What Would a Black Belt Do). Ha. So, basically, a lot has gone into the last 9 months. A whole lot. Last…