The Enso contains two sets of Japanese kanji:
- 無常 (Mujō) — Impermanence; everything changes and nothing remains the same.
- 道 (Dō) — The Way; the path of discipline, practice, and self-cultivation.
Together, they represent a fitting philosophy for your new chapter:
“Everything changes, but the Way continues.”
The studio has closed, but the dojo remains.
There comes a time in life when the path changes. Not necessarily because we have failed, lost our way, or abandoned our purpose, but because we are being called to walk differently.
I recently closed a significant chapter of my life. After years of teaching martial arts and developing RAT Synthesis, I made the decision to retire from teaching. I went to Water Street Wellness, gathered my equipment and personal belongings, and said goodbye to the studio. I left behind a place that had represented so much of my martial arts journey.
There was sadness in doing this. Naturally, there would be. I invested decades of experience, energy, discipline, and personal identity into martial arts and teaching. But sometimes letting go is necessary to make room for something new.
I haven’t stopped being a martial artist. I’ve simply changed the way I practice.
I have closed my studio, but I haven’t closed my dojo. My dojo is now my own life.
The Solitary Warrior
I’ve been reading about Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary Japanese swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings. Musashi spent much of his life traveling, studying, fighting, and refining his understanding of the martial arts. He was also a dedicated solitary practitioner who understood that the Way could be cultivated through independent training.
One of his central teachings was that mastery comes through continuous practice. The Way is not something we simply learn intellectually. It must be lived, experienced, and refined through repetition.
This resonates with where I am in life.
I no longer need a classroom, a group of students, or a training partner to pursue martial arts. I can practice independently through shadow fighting, visualization, resistance training, heavy bag work, and physical conditioning.
I can mentally rehearse an encounter, visualize an opponent, recognize an attack, and practice my defensive and offensive responses. I can refine my movements, study my mechanics, and work toward greater efficiency.
My training is now personal. I am no longer preparing students or demonstrating techniques for others. I am refining myself.
The opponent I need to overcome most consistently is yesterday’s version of myself.
The Training Continues
My physical training follows an alternating A/B workout routine.
On A days, I work my primary attack combination on the BOB heavy bag, practice boxing and Kubotan techniques, and then move into defensive-offensive combinations using resistance bands. I finish with kettlebell squats and bodyweight squats, incorporating cardiovascular conditioning as well.
On B days, I concentrate on pushups, resistance-band lat pulls, weighted crunches, and shoulder and arm rehabilitation exercises.
I train A day and B day twice in the week.
I also practice visualization and shadow fighting. These allow me to explore movement, strategy, timing, defensive angles, and offensive transitions without requiring another person.
But martial arts is only one part of the journey.
I continue reading books about strategy, the samurai, and the principles of winning at life. Fighting to Win is one book I intend to revisit repeatedly, allowing its teachings to become part of my thinking and behavior.
I want to study deeply rather than simply accumulate information.
The Spiritual Warrior
My martial arts journey has always been connected to something greater than physical combat.
As a disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, my ultimate objective is God-realization. Kriya Yoga, meditation, chanting, and spiritual study remain central to my life.
I also continue reading the teachings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and reflecting on her Little Way, particularly the understanding that everything is grace.
This brings a different dimension to the solitary warrior.
The real battle is not always against another person. Much of it takes place within ourselves: fear, attachment, pride, impatience, and the desire to control outcomes.
The warrior must learn to act with discipline while surrendering the results to God.
I think of the hollow bamboo reed: becoming an instrument through which the Divine can work.
Solitude provides an opportunity to listen, observe, study, meditate, and recognize the presence of God in ordinary life.
A New Chapter
I am also continuing my studies in cybersecurity, working toward my CompTIA Security+ certification. With my teaching responsibilities behind me, I have more time to dedicate to studying and developing another area of knowledge.
I want to continue writing, producing videos, and sharing the lessons I have learned through martial arts, philosophy, and spirituality.
Perhaps my next book will be called Alone: The Way of the Solitary Warrior.
The subject would not simply be about training alone. It would explore how a person can cultivate discipline, purpose, strength, wisdom, and spiritual awareness without depending on an audience, a following, or external validation.
There is something liberating about this realization.
I can train because I love training. I can study because I love learning. I can write when inspiration comes. I can meditate without needing anyone to know about it.
I don’t have to build something for the world to see in order for my life to have meaning.
The Dojo Is Your Life
Closing the studio was not the end of my martial arts journey. It was the end of one particular way of expressing it.
I am entering a different chapter, one characterized by independence, reflection, personal development, and spiritual practice.
I will continue to train my body, sharpen my mind, study the Way, and deepen my relationship with God.
There will be no students waiting for me, no classes to prepare, and no responsibility to maintain a school. There will simply be the daily opportunity to practice and improve.
Perhaps this is what the solitary warrior understands: the Way does not depend on circumstances. It is available wherever we are and whatever stage of life we find ourselves in.
You have closed your studio, but you haven’t closed your dojo. Your dojo is now your own life.
The training continues. The study continues. The spiritual journey continues.
I honor the past, accept the present, and surrender the future to God.
I walk alone, but I am never without the Divine.
Alone: The Way of the Solitary Warrior.
Until the End.