Martial Arts

Whether you are seeking to tone your body or transform your mind, the Joy of Movement offers a variety of classes each month for which beginners and drop-ins are welcome.

For more information about our martial arts teachers, click here. 

For our monthly class schedule, click here.

For our list of monthly special events, click here.

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T’ai Chi for Body Awareness | Dan Pasek

T’ai Chi for Body Awareness emphasizes practices that bring awareness to how the body is properly used. Adults typically use their bodies unconsciously for many functions, including such basic things as walking and breathing, but this is using habits, and those habits can be less than ideal. This art’s roots in the martial arts means that practitioners needed to be aware of aspects of how their body was used while under the challenges and pressures of an opponent. Therefore, refinements were needed and habitual postural and movement patterns were changed to be more efficient and structurally sound and stable. Today Taijiquan (T’ai Chi) is more commonly studied as a health practice rather than as a martial art. But the efficiencies learned from its martial arts roots have been found to have numerous potential health benefits. Aspects like awareness, balance, stress reduction, proper breathing and other practices all aid those seeking health and wellness. But we still need to become aware of habits in order for refinements to occur.

Dan holds classes every other Sunday at 2:30 p.m.; please check the JOM class schedule. Cost: $15 per class.
For more information: EntwinedDragons@gmail.com | slantedflying.com/author/dpasek | 919-545-9185

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Capoeira | Frederico Castelloes

Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art form, is a mesmerizing dance-like game played between two people inside a community circle.  With little to no bodily contact, the players perform a non-verbal discourse through free flow movement. Capoeiristas in the circle support the synergy of the game through percussion and singing. Capoeira is a moderate to intense workout and much more. In Contra Mestre Frederico’s classes, you will learn martial arts movements, how to play percussion instruments like the berimbau (Capoeira’s lead instrument), drums and tambourine, as well as to sing songs in Portuguese. This hour-and-fifteen minute class consists of 20-25 minutes of warm-up and stretches, 20-30 minutes of practicing individual capoeira movements, 10-15 minutes of music (instruments and Portuguese Language) and the class concludes with the game of capoeira in the roda (ring/sphere of capoeira).  All come together as we showcase and hone each other’s skills in a martial art game of movements intertwined in the full complexity of interpretive music and movement. Capoeira is offered on Wednesdays at 7:45 pm.

Cost: $15 per class or $50 per month.

For more information: flcastelloes@gmail.com | (919)407-1838