All my life I've been passionate about martial arts and I have accumulated more than 20 years of experience in the art of fighting. I started practising Karate at the age of eight, I discovered Wing-Tsun Kung Fu when I was twenty, I joined a boxing club in the UK at twenty-nine, and I started training Tai Chi at thirty-one. Martial arts and combat sports have defined my movement practice for years.

 

How I became aware of the importance of YIN

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In 2011, I specialised in strength and conditioning for the fight athlete, with significant focus on bodyweight and kettlebell training. My approach to training was hard and intense; definitely very Yang. Even though at that point of my life I was extremely fit and every single blood test confirmed that I was in good health, several physical issues in 2012 (from muscle tightness to reactions to stress and so on) made me realise the importance of having a balanced approach to training: I immediately included Tai Chi Chuan in my practice, adding a softer and more relaxing discipline to my routine – the Yin element that had been missing.

 

The beginning of Tao Movement

 

Learning about Ido Portal around 2015 really opened my eyes. I understood that specialisation is rarely balanced and is almost never sustainable in the long-term. 

 

Yoga, freestyle calisthenics, gymnastics, animal flow and mobility work were added to my movement practice. That was the beginning of a personal exploration to find a harmonious practice which combines soft or Yin and hard or Yang disciplines – a journey that culminated with the creation of Tao Movement.

 

As Bruce Lee said: "Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own."