Budokon

December 10th, 2009

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“Budokon (bu-do-kon), is a living art. By that I mean it is the art of living. It is your waking and your sleeping, your walking and your sitting, your living and your dying. I cannot say that it is more special than any other art. In fact, it is not special at all. It is the practitioner who brings all that the art is, all that the art will ever be. Budokon is not about gaining ideas. There is nothing to gain from it. It is simply a way. Our way is the Zen way. We are not a religion or a devotional practice. We do not practice to become enlightened. We practice because we are enlightened. If you are seeking something in order to gain something, this is the wrong practice. Budokon is empty of gaining ideas. If you believe there is something to gain from it, you will always be disappointed by it. This is the first lesson in our art. We must come to it, like all things, with a pure mind, free from attachment and gaining ideas. This is why we suffer. Budokon is freedom from suffering, nothing more.”

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Budokon is the brainchild of Kancho (Founder) Cameron Shayne and the practice was founded in 2000. The word Bu-do-kon translates directly in Japanese as (Bu) Warrior (Do) Way (Kon) Spirit, or Way of the Spiritual Warrior.
The Budokon physical practice draws upon ancient and modern yogic and martial arts styles. The foundation of the Budokon physical practice is precision, alignment and Zen mind. All Budokon techniques are designed to explore the body’s full range of motion. The practice dances between agility, control, speed, power, balance and flow. The physical practice is divided into two themes: The Yogic Series, and the Budo Series. Both themes constantly draw from and depend on each other. The Budokon Yogic Series was heavily influenced by Iyengar and Ashtanga yogic techniques and alignment. The focus is on control, calm, power and precision. These techniques are uniquely different from traditional Hatha Yoga in the sense that they not only work to improve range of motion and strength, but they also explore the body’s ability to sustain another person’s body weight. The Budokon Budo Series is a combination of standing and ground techniques drawn primarily from Okinawan Karate-Do, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and Olympic Style Tae Kwon Do. The objective of this series is to teach agility, power, focus and flow in the body and mind.

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Tap your inner Karate Kid while building flexibility and calming the mind in this challenging new martial art. It’s definitely not a group fitness class and it’s much more than just yoga. Whether you’re a busy business professional who can barely find time to get to the gym, let alone try something new like yoga, or a yoga-enthusiast looking for a more challenging, cardio workout, Budokon has something for you. Budokon combines meditation, yoga and martial arts moves for the ultimate mind-body fitness workout. Students develop physical alignment, strength, agility, endurance, control, balance and flow. It’s popular on the West Coast thanks to celebs like David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Sean Penn and Olympic volleyball star Kerri Walsh, all of whom practice it to keep their bodies in peak physical shape. Budokon (which literally translates to Warrior (Bu), Way (Do), and Spirit (Kan) in Japanese) is just making its way to the Midwest. Budokon challenges your body and mind to new movements and opens you up to new energy levels. You may go through a series of break-dance-like floor slides, holds and kicks, squats, dynamic movements or do more traditional punching combos with lunges. Anything goes in these 60-minute classes, but each session ends with shavasana, or corpse pose in yoga, when you simply relax the mind, quiet the breath and release the muscles and lay flat on your mat. You’ll love letting go of all that tension and melting away the weekly stress.
Avoid wearing loose-fitting pants or tops that can slow you down. Also, you’ll spend the class barefoot, so good foot hygiene is encouraged.
X8 Miami personally knows the founder of Budokon, Cameron Shayne, and endorses this amazing fitness practice. There are a limited places that offer Budokon , but there are a couple Miami and Fort Lauderdale locations that offer this amazing workout and life changing workout.