On September 28th my buddy Jaydra Perfetti and I hosted Femm Fighting, a martial arts workshop for women & genderqueer martial artists. Our intention was to create community among those of us who may experience being gender minorities in the martial arts. The event was a lovely success: 15 of us gathered at Southwest PortlandContinue reading “Femm Fighting Success!”
Author Archives: Michelle J
November 6, 2024
Election results are in, and Trump has been elected president again. I thought I would want to stay in bed and cry all day today, but I don’t. I felt pulled to come to my corner coffee shop. I’m crying a little bit here, but not as much as I did yesterday before we knewContinue reading “November 6, 2024”
Hopeful and Terrified
When Trump was elected president in 2016, I had a bit of a mental breakdown. My daughter was a baby. On election night I thought we were about to witness our country voting in its first woman president. We didn’t. I cried. Instead we voted in a man who admitted to grabbing women by theContinue reading “Hopeful and Terrified”
Kids Martial Arts Classes
This fall I’ll be teaching a six-week martial arts class for kids ages 5-10 at Ready Set Grow, a family-oriented yoga studio in my Portland neighborhood. I love teaching kids–they’re wildly unpredictable and fun to work with. I teach martial arts a little differently than other schools, so I wanted to take a moment toContinue reading “Kids Martial Arts Classes”
Standing Meditation
Wuji standing meditation is the foundation of the martial arts and healing system I teach. “Standing is everything,” my teacher Sana will say, over and over. When we stand we aim to release tension in the body and connect deeply with the earth. Being in tension limits our possible movements– if the arm is fullContinue reading “Standing Meditation”
Michelle Folk Johnson 