Michele Monticello
A little about what I get out of my Training :
If there was one word that I can come up with to describe exactly what my training has done for me, the word would be Ataraxia. I have never had the opportunity to use an unusual word or one that may make me sound like an intellectual but when I stumbled across this word, I decided that that was the perfect word to describe what I get out of my training.
Ataraxia: “calmness or peace of mind; emotional tranquillity” (Collins dictionary).
When I first started training, my wants and goals were purely Martial. At the time I didn’t really realise the path it would lead me down and the benefits I would receive. I am definitely training for martial skill but now my focus on the martial skill is less important, it becomes a by product of the skills I feel I acquire and that help guide me through my life.
Without sounding like an advert or a cliché, what I have truly acquired goes way beyond martial arts, I feel a complete sense of awareness in all parts of my life. One of my strongest passions is photography and this is where I feel my training has really developed, it has given me the ability to be more emotionally conscious and to try and translate this in my images.
It makes me more aware of every moment that the day gives to me and in my consciousness I feel that I am able to achieve and do everything I want, a sense of moving through my life in a very aware state of mind. I look forward to every coming day because I know that each day I can find something special. We are surrounded by beauty and opportunity and in this daily joy I feel a sense of wanting to share in my good fortune.
The biggest reward it has given me is the opportunity to meet people that inspire me and to have started fulfilling some of my goals and I know that without the focus of my training, this would not happen.
The training I do now is a way of life, it’s my code for everything I do, it is not a religion it is not a workout, it’s a complete system of being, both mentally and physically, I use the principles to work out problems and I cannot imagine living my life any other way. For the most I feel myself in a state of Ataraxia.
A Little Something about Shy :
Shy for me embodies the qualities I look for in a person, he is kind, he is honest, he is fair and he really cares and wants to do good. So I start from a level of respect for him as a person. As a teacher he is very attentative, he is able to explain things in a clear and precise manner. What we are learning is very complex and something that is incredibly hard to grasp let alone describe, there are many words that are used to say what we do and these can sometimes be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Shy helps you approach everything from different angles and with different explanations, he encourages you to explore this through hard work and mindful thought. He encourages us all to be on our own journey/path but share in our growth and help each other progress.
When you touch hands with Shy you are immediate aware that he has incredible martial skills. Shy is the epitome of the phrase Fighting without Fighting, which could also be changed to Achieving your goals in all aspects of your live without feeling that you have had to fight ( too hard ) to get there.
“We Win in stillness and conquer in motion” Shy (Mindfulness in Motion)