FINDING STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE
Our son started at One With Heart when he was 7 and he’s now 15. He absolutely loves it! He hadn’t been interested in traditional ball sports, so in the early years, we were happy he’d found an active pastime he enjoyed. We had no idea how many unexpected benefits Pukulan would eventually bring to so many aspects of his life.
The first benefit is of course physical.. He has achieved a level of fitness, strength, flexibility and endurance that a lot of sports-disinterested kids struggle to find. Pukulan has given him such a physical confidence, a belief in his own physical capabilities. Arduous hikes, long kayaking trips, surprise dance lessons in school or the first time hitting the slopes on a snowboard, no matter what, he knows he can do it.
The next benefit is mental health. Our son was in good spirits even during the darkest days of the pandemic and at some point, we realized that Pukulan was what was getting him through. One With Heart had online classes up and running within a week, and I overheard Mas Guru Agung Janesa leading the teen class in many meditations focused on finding strength and resilience in times of hardship. The dedication the One WIth Heart staff put into creating consistency and community for all the kids during such a challenging time was amazing. They even trained outside in the mud on Mt. Tabor so everyone could be together. The joy in the classes and the mental and physical resilience our son learned in them was his lifeline.
Another benefit is leadership and responsibility. The teens help teach the classes for the younger kids. When our son was young, the impressive skills of the teen helpers gave him a lot of motivation. Now that he has been a teen helper himself, I can see how much this system benefits the teens as well. It creates a sense of responsibility because the teacher is counting on them, and it’s also the perfect opportunity to learn leadership skills. Our son now has the confidence to stand up in front of a room full of people and lead them and teach them. Great life skills for anything he decides to do someday!
I also want to say that training at One With Heart has given our son a childhood surrounded by strong, capable and truly amazing women. I was a little worried in the beginning that martial arts would be macho bro culture, but One With Heart is owned by a woman and half the instructors are women. The owner, Janesa Kruse, is a white haired lady, past the age when most people retire. I’ve often overheard large, strong teenage boys talking about how in awe they are of the fact that with no effort at all, she can have them down on the mats before they even know what happened. Half of the students are female too, and all the little girls that our son started training with have now grown into strong, confident and capable young women. These kids are the future, and there is definitely no glass ceiling in any of their minds.
It was my mother-in-law’s idea to start our son at One With Heart. I wish she were alive today so I could tell her it was one of the best ideas she ever had!
-Megan