Category: Empowerment Self-Defense
-
What Dance can teach us about Self-Defense
In self-defense, as in dance, one breath can change everything. The “sacred pause” can be the difference between reaction and response, between contraction and expansion, between inaction and action. In the spaciousness at the top of our inhale, everything expands and possibilities open before us. In the emptiness at the bottom of our exhale, clarity…
-
Women who Travel Alone, This is for You.
On July 26, 2018, a young Mexican musician set off on a solo trip before her band’s first concert. Her name was María, and she was 25 years old. At dawn on August 5th, 2018, she and a friend were walking on the beach in Costa Rica when two men assaulted them. María’s friend managed to…
-
Don’t tell me how to be an empowered woman
I’ve noticed a trend amongst a small demographic made up of men who are angry at me. It is a brilliant rhetorical strategy that looks more or less like this: “You call yourself an empowered woman? Then why don’t you ____, huh?” Fill in the blank. Do this thing I think you should do. Conform…
-
Every Day — and March 8 — is a Good Day to Fight for Women’s Rights
It’s March 8, 2023. Between a “voice activation” exercise where we shout “no” at high, higher, and highest volume and a round of practicing palm heel strikes, my phone pings over and over. I’ve received a flood of messages wishing me a “Happy International Women’s Day.” I send back a few emojis without too much…
-
Saying Yes to Pleasure: Healing and Connection Through Holistic Self-Defense
Our YES is just as radical as our NO. A body recoiling from an unwanted touch. A jaw locking in shock from a non-consensual kiss. Arms crossed over the chest—an uninvited comment. A forced smile, fake laughter, feigned interest, a counterfeit orgasm. Most women know what it feels like to fake pleasure out of fear—fear…
-
The Difference Between Martial Arts and Empowerment Self-Defense
Understanding Holistic Self-Defense I do not teach martial arts! I’m not even a martial artist. I am an instructor certified by ESD Global to teach Empowerment Self-Defense, a violence prevention methodology developed by martial artists with over 40 years of experience. We work with physical techniques derived from various martial arts, assertive communication techniques, and…
-
I’m Not “in my Feminine” & you’re Not “in your Masculine”—the Danger of Polarity Speak.
“I really feel you in your masculine right now with this boundary.” A good while ago, a friend said something along those lines when I expressed a boundary to him during an event. It was that “masculine” energy that seemed to drive it home—he knew I was serious. His choice of words nagged me then,…
-
Sisterhood paves the way for our safety
Trigger warning: This article discusses topics related to sexual violence. Strong Women: Self-Defense, Sisterhood, Justice, and Personal Safety Learning from Bonobos About Sisterhood and Collective Self-Defense This month, Andrés Picado was finally sentenced to 24 years in prison for crimes committed between 2019 and 2022, including the sexual assault of five foreign women and two…
-
Self defense is for you
Empowerment-based self-defense training doesn’t just teach people to say “no” to coercive, manipulative, or explicitly violent attacks. It also facilitates deeply personal and radical growth in self-awareness and self-confidence, strengthening all our relationships to make them safer and healthier.
-
Self-Defense is Collaborative
Mission before Competition This year I have seen at least 3 different holistic self-defense retreats going around social media. None of them have been through my project (Choose Empowerment). At another moment of my life, maybe I would have gotten offended… Seeing other people taking “my” thing and making it theirs would have generated some…
