Tag Archives: kids self defense

Meet the Langmanns, Tulen Center’s May Family of the Month!

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The Langmann Family on one of their snowy adventures!

The Langmanns work and play hard. They put their heart and soul into everything they do. They are always off climbing some mountain or riding their bikes someplace amazing. Dad, Vince, was in an Iron Man competition last summer and is on the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol all winter on the weekends. Birgit, mom, rides her bike to and from the University of Portland every day. During Mas Jasmine’s brown sash test, the entire family ran the five miles with her all the way. This is no ordinary family!

Mas Jasmine is 12 and will be testing for the rank of black belt this month on the 18th. The test is long and challenging. It doesn’t surprise me that Mas Jasmine is as courageous as she is. I’ve seen her family’s determination to support her training and I’ve seen their consistency over the years. I’ve felt their understanding that this isn’t just any martial art, but is also an incredible road to self development. Their comitment to one another, to their daughter and to Tulen Center is beautiful. It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the Langmann family.

The Langmanns have been a part of the Tulen Center family for over 5 years. Brigit and Vince are both in the medical field. We have seen Brigit work hard at her studies and she is about to graduate and get her nursing degree. The Langmanns have two beautiful daughters: Mas Jasmine (12) and Sophia (10). They have lived in Portland since 2004. In August, we will be very sad to say goodbye as they move off to live on the East Coast and we hope they will come back and visit us whenever they can. Meanwhile, we’ll have to plan field trips to Albany, New York!

How did you become a part of the Poekoelan Family?

“My youngest daughter Sophia took a Little Monkeys class at the Garden Home Rec Center. She enjoyed it, but afterwards, Jasmine asked me if she could try it out. Sophia eventually stopped training but Jasmine has been a student ever since.” -Brigit

What activities do you do as a family? What will you miss about Portland?

“We like anything outside: hiking, biking, reading, and just adventuring. Our favorite dinners are curry and tacos! But those don’t really go together… We will miss the people in Portland. However, we do love new experiences.” -Brigit

What do you love about Poekoelan?

“I love Poekoelan because I love training and I love the people that train here too. I think that Poekoelan is very important because a girl needs to know how to protect herself if she is walking alone. I know that I can defend myself! I am very excited for my Black Belt test and I have been training very hard.” –Mas Jasmine

NPR, All Things Considered: Teaching Violence, and Control, to Children, by Goeroe Louise Rafkin

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Please listen to this awesome radio piece. Goeroe Louise is a fifth degree black belt in the art of Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6682415

 

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And just so you know, May is FREE self-defense month at Tulen Center: https://tulencenter.com/welcome-to-tulen-center/free/

Pre-registration has begun for our summer day camps: https://tulencenter.com/about/summer-camps/

XOXO Pendekkar Silvia

The Gift of Meditation

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The gym was full. The crowds were loud. This was our son’s big wrestling season finale. Districts! Even the grandparents were here to cheer him on!

It had been a good year. Henry, who at the time was 10, was in his first year of wrestling, and was undefeated so far. He was ready to face his final match, a kid in his weight class who had several more years of experience.

My husband had checked in with Henry, so we knew he was nervous as he anticipated the big match. Up in the stands, we chatted amongst ourselves whiling away the eternal wait.

Henry was next. I searched the crowds looking for him and there he was! There was my son in cross-legged position, we call it “silat”, with wrists on his knees, thumb touching middle finger, back straight. And though I wasn’t close enough to see or hear him, I knew he was breathing deeply in through his nose and out through his mouth.

Henry Meditating at Districts 2011 Before the Final Match

Sitting in silat position is one of the ways we do our meditation in Poekoelan class. The art that we train is very physical. We learn to strike and hit, to defend ourselves against attacks. We push our bodies and build our strength. The practice of meditation brings balance. We learn to quiet the mind and connect to spirit. This art is Compassionate Balanced Action.

When I do my daily meditation, it’s a chance for my brain to rest. I can literally feel it relaxing. The world is a busy place, and to be able to find some quiet and peace in the midst of it all is a real gift our art gives to each of us.

So the crowds were loud and the gym was vibrating with energy! In the midst of the chaos, Henry was preparing himself for his biggest match yet in the best way he knew how: by breathing deeply, quieting his mind, and setting his intention.

I’ve taught a lot of kids over the years and this is one thing I know to be true: when we share a genuine gift with children, one that they sense is pure, honest and authentic, they know it, they feel it and they “get” it. And what a gift! To know that no matter what, be it scary, sad, overwhelming or negative, they always have a tool they can rely on. They can do their meditation and face their challenges from this place of internal strength, being calm and clear. I am so grateful to receive this gift, and so blessed that I get to pass it on.

Terima Kashi Banyak,

Pendekkar Silvia