Thank you so much Master Michael for this wonderful Monday morning ‘Fighting Monkey’ practice. I met Michael at the ePvent I attended over the weekend and knew right away he would be a solid dude to connect with. He is very kind man of few words, but you can tell through his presence and depth that he has spent time studying and practicing valuable mindbody disciplines. When he shared with me about this class series he was teaching 3x a week , I immediately wanted to check it out. Based on conversations with sir Michael about this practice, and following my first class participation, here is my write-up: Fighting Monkey seems to have evolved from two top-tier movement artists coming together. From my recollection, it is the progeny of an elite male martial artist and an upper echelon female contemporary dancer from Europe. It is clear that the real value in developing any movement practice comes from experiential understanding of the body in motion, and creating a synergism between all of the joints in the body , as they work together. Observing Michael’s dynamic movement and coordination was demonstrative of his dedication to this. One thing to take away from this is simply the value of training - but training with the right tools to hone universal and foundational principles. Fighting Monkey, being the blend of two different disciplines, makes it easy to see the commonality and underlying threads that repeat across varying practices. It makes use of the fundamental development of the legs, hips and pelvis; which seems to be common amongst all movement arts. These things just don’t go away, and if we fail to develop proper leg strength, mobility, and coordination, the spine and the rest of the body will be disconnected from the ground contact, which is where all force is generated. What I found to be of incredible value was the warm-ups themselves, which seem to have commonality with other systems such as Shadow Yoga. Emphasis is placed on the ankles connection to the leg and the relationship between all the joints of the lower body, which should never be underestimated. Years of structured yoga practices with little outside exposure left me just like that - exposed. We know the legs connect us to the ground, but we forget that this holds more than just physical implications. I think there is something to be said about the lack of connection here also separating us from the Earth itself. The Earth is our home - it provides stability and grounding. Without our feet placed firmly and confidently on Her surface, our foundation is shaky at best. Then consequently, the upper body is acting out what the mind thinks is best with little to no regard to a greater and more harmonious reality. One in which we move with gravity and our environment and not against it. As we developed strength in coordination with the legs, we moved up to make the upper body function with the lower body. It was clear to me how much my mind was getting in the way of these two worlds conflicting - my upper and lower half. I feel that the development of a synchronous upper and lower half is what will allow us to be truly well rounded. Not only in our physical body, but in the ability to implement thoughts and ideas into reality. Think about it - a thought exists somewhere ‘not here’. To ground it, we’ve got to not only grasp it effectively(symbolized by the hands) but also put it on the Earth (feet). We’ve got to reach into the cosmos with our legs firmly rooted on the planet. Otherwise we will be full of great ideas that have no landing strip! Sound familiar?? Maybe this practice calls to you. I am certainly interested in the things that expose my weaknesses because it gives me an opportunity to deconstruct any rigidity I’ve developed in my body. The issue with rigidity in the body is that it clearly shows up as a mind which lacks this fluidity. Most importantly, practices which develop an intentional focus towards coordinating the myriad of possibilities for physical expression, open our ability to fit harmoniously into our environment. Improving our relationships in all ways - to ourselves, each other, people we don’t even know, and ultimately the planet as a whole. What does look like? Playful vigilance towards the things that matter most. Love. Compassion. Joy. Truth. Thank you again, Michaelji, for your hospitality and friendship. Looking forward to learning from you further as I continue my stay here in Berkeley and very grateful for the opportunity to connect. Love, brother!