The Unification of Self and Partner: Practicing the Martial Art of Awarenes

Doors open at 6pm, latecomers welcome till 6:30pm

The first half of class focuses on solo exercises to unify the self:

All of life exists in a balance. Together, we explore the natural tension of this that is necessary for balance to exist, and how to find flow while maintaining healthy boundaries. This is our path to empowerment. You will learn solo movements that you can apply to improve your somatic presence, body mechanics, and attention in daily life.

This class explores conflict and coordination between two people through partner work. You will learn how to train and support each other’s learning. We will practice partner exercises such as spinning and sticky hands.

The second half of class focuses on partner exercises to train attention and unification with a partner:

Martial arts is the point of contact for human experience and communication. I Liq Chuan leads its practitioners to explore the nature of tension, conflict, and boundaries, using physical touch as a constant source of feedback.

It takes courage to look into the nature of conflict. At its most fundamental level, the study of conflict is to understand connection, communication, and flow. This work increases the opportunity for peaceful resolution and ease. The lessons of martial arts can be applied to your emotional wellbeing, your other movement practices, and across all forms of relationship.

I Liq Chuan, which translates to “Mental-Physical martial art,” is a principled approach connecting you to the nature of movement and the nature of attention. When unified, power can manifest. This class is designed to cultivate personal empowerment as well as martial application, and to meet everyone exactly where they are.

Newcomers can take any class at any level. No prerequisite or prior experience necessary. Drop-ins gladly received. All body sizes, shapes, and abilities are welcome.

About your teachers:

Janine Parziale: Janine is a disciple of I Liq Chuan Grandmaster Sam F.S. Chin, with whom she has studied, trained, and intermittently traveled over the last 7 years. She is a Level 2 I Liq Chuan instructor. Janine weaves nearly 20 years of martial arts experience, including a second degree black belt in Aikido, together with her background as a bodyworker, and as a student of Zen to offer a singularly unique perspective to disciplines centered on human bodies in motion.

As a bodyworker, she practices advanced visceral manipulation, biomechanics, energetics, and is currently studying Rolfing. Both Zen and Mayhana have influenced her meditation, which includes multi-month meditation immersions. Janine also brings her extensive somatic experiences to her business clients as an executive coach. She is interested in the intersections between the principles of martial arts practice and interpersonal conflict resolution, personal development, bodywork, art, and meditation.

Lipyeow Lim: Lipyeow Lim is a disciple of I Liq Chuan Grandmaster Sam F. S. Chin, with whom he has studied for more than eighteen years. He is a certified Level 2 I Liq Chuan instructor. Lipyeow has been studying and teaching martial arts since 1993. He started with Taijiquan with a focus on Chen style Taijiquan and switched to learning and teaching I Liq Chuan in 2004 after meeting Grandmaster Sam F. S. Chin. He also briefly studied Kalis Illustrissimo for weapons combat to complement the I Liq Chuan empty hand skills. Lipyeow is a passionate teacher not just in martial arts - he was a tenured Professor of Computer Science for ten years prior to moving to the Bay area. He is particularly interested in how the cognitive skills developed through meditation can accelerate the learning of both movement-based arts and mental arts like computer science and math .

Host or Publisher The Berkeley Alembic Foundation