This is a (handmade, modern version of a) Puukko. A small traditional Finnish general purpose belt knife. A thing of beauty, and practicality. It was created – forged – by Muspell Forge In Finland, receiving a puukko as a gift is considered an honour, the idea being that the presenter is giving the recipient a tool… Read More A Puukko for your Thoughts
This magnolia tree lives right next to the beautiful mudojang of Master Chae, where we train both Taekwondo and Haidong Gumdo. It is in full bloom right now, so I wanted to take a moment to share the view. I marvel at how swiftly nature changes it’s look in spring. Bonus Geekery Did you know… Read More The Martial Magnolia
Here is a picture view of the ribbonification process of my new (Grishko Dreampointe!) shoes. Enjoy! PS: Also check out this great article on how to measure and position the ribbons/ elastic, as well as on how to tie pointe shoes. 1. The Gathering (shoes, satin ribbons, elastic band, scissors, sturdy needle, sturdy thread) Not… Read More The Ribbonening
During the past few weeks I’ve been working on our first (in benefit of Dance4Children) self-produced mini-kickboxing workout. It is now available! (in downloadable and streaming format) at https://gum.co/kbcombos And we’re really excited about it. It was great to see ‘our’ D4C coaches at work together, and very interesting for me to do the filming/editing… Read More Online Kickboxing
A short recap of this Sunday’s workout: Rope skipping 200 regular jumps (2 x 100 jumps) 100 one-legged jumps (50 LR) 50 high jumps (knees up) Kettlebell Practise Simple & Sinister warmup (8kg) 5 Slomo Deadlifts (20kg) 2 x 10 KB Swings (16kg) 2 x 10 KB Swings (20kg) 2 x TGU (8kg LR) 2 x… Read More Weekly KettleBells
A great and informative read. Admittedly I usually work out for more than a minute. Also, I still love how I feel after my weekly jump-rope-and-kettlebell routine, or just plain hopping, skipping, kicking, running and walking about in nature. Nevertheless, this book has provided me with plenty of tips and insights on how to put… Read More The One Minute Workout
“As long as you keep flexible, and keep the belief in your mind, you can do this for a long time.” This is part 8 of a series on Stacey Nemours fantastic online course package for dancers. Check out the full series here: Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part 1 Stacey Nemour Dance! Pack – Part… Read More Stacey Nemour’s Dance! Flexibility Makeover Power Pack – Part 8
Jin Xuan (also called ‘Milky Oolong’) is a Taiwanese tea discovery. I first tried it this winter at Dharma City – a gorgeous Tibetan tea house, adjacent to the Tibetan Convention Centre & BnB in Florennes, in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes. It felt like a moment of quiet, comfort and calmness in a cup. I love… Read More Taiwanese Tea
There are certain places that seem to draw us in – in life, as well as on our walks. Places of power. Places of peace. Meeting and re-meeting old friends kind of has the same effect on me. It’s opportunity to take a moment. An opportunity to re-connect, to re-flect. To be present with oneself… Read More Places of Power
If you’ve ever danced with a silk veil, you know how precious it feels. It catches the air, it fills the space with colour and movement, it shows the music. It dances all by itself. Silky poetry. However, if you’re like me, veils tend to multiply over the years, and it can be hard to… Read More Silk Veil Donations
