Why Martial Arts Therapy is perfect for Women in Midlife… even if you think you’re too unfit, weak, inflexible, uncoordinated or old.

Is It Too Late to Start Martial Arts in Your 40s or 50s? PLUS 3 Strategies to Shift your Anger from Where You Are in Midlife.

You love the idea of self-defence, martial arts, and martial arts therapy (MAT) for women in midlife. One problem: you don’t think your body will meet you with the same enthusiasm when it’s time to put fist to boxing pad. 

After all, when someone utters the term ‘martial arts’, you immediately conjure images of superfit MMA athletes or fierce black belt karateka performing breath–taking forms. 

Even if the images in your mind are of women, they are fit, strong, flexible, ultra-coordinated and young women.

I’ll be honest here. Most martial arts schools do expect that you will become fitter over the course of your training, even if it has been 25 years since you last participated in an active pursuit (high school netball, anyone?). But martial arts therapy is not standard self-defence or martial arts. Martial arts therapy is a broad category and far-reaching: it’s sometimes used for physical rehabilitation; sometimes for psychological benefits. In the case of Transformational Self-Defence and Martial Arts (TSDMA), martial arts therapy is a vehicle for psycho-emotional healing and holistic empowerment – and is perfect suited to midlife women.

All martial arts therapy approaches have one goal – and it’s not to make you an athlete or martial arts champion. It’s to facilitate your health and healing.

In a regular martial arts or self-defence class, you may arrive unfit, weak, inflexible or uncoordinated. You can expect to partake in warm ups and conditioning and stretching exercises to gradually build your fitness, strength, flexibility and coordination. Afterall, martial arts and self-defence are fundamentally physical endeavours that involve movement. Good traditional martial arts schools adopt a holistic approach to their classes. Caring for the physical body through training in their specific martial art style is part of that philosophy.

Martial arts therapy sessions are different. They are often 1:1 and tailored to you, with goals other than developing sparring abilities, improving forms, boosting confidence or learning self-defence.

Your martial arts therapist is likely to take a more gentle, less physical approach if that’s what would best help you. They are also less inclined to be strict about perfecting technique if your unique goals are still being realised.

For example, if your martial arts therapist is working with for the purpose of rehabilitating your shoulder via martial arts, they would be less concerned about your ability to demonstrate a full circular mawashi uke (roundhouse block) so long as your shoulder’s range of motion is gradually improving. I’m certainly less pedantic with my TSDMA clients about the precision of techniques than I am with my martial art students. The initial goal with TSDMA is (usually) to release your charged emotions – anger, frustration, rage, depression, etc – and become comfortable reclaiming and embodying your power. It is only when you’re used to alchemising your emotions through TSDMA and comfortable expressing yourself in this way, that we progress to refining technique. This means that ultimately, TSDMA progresses to genuine, tried-and-true self-defence techniques and strategies.

Solid self-defence techniques, strategies and frameworks are embodied assets that no one can ever take away from you.

And no, you still don’t need to be a super-fit athlete for the kind of self-defence techniques, strategies and frameworks I teach!

---

If you’re still wary about martial arts therapy but would love some help with your charged emotions, here are 3 embodied practices that will help you shift your anger from where you are today.

3 Strategies to Shift your Anger from Where You Are in Midlife, without Martial Arts Therapy 

1. Mobilise the Charge: While pillow-bashing was commonly recommended by psychologists in the 70s, it’s no longer a popular option for anger management. However, charged emotions still need to be released. When anger is suppressed or soothed away, according to Traditional East Asian Medicine, it builds into what’s known as Liver Qi Stagnation. Apart from continued cycles of frustration, anger and rage, Liver Qi Stagnation brings about other symptoms, such as digestive issues, tense neck, shoulders and tight ribcage and menstrual pain. A good way to mobilise your anger is to:

• Remove yourself from the triggering situation or person, and go for a brisk walk, preferably in nature.
• Focus on what you can sense in the present moment: your shoes hitting the pavement, the breeze brushing your face, the scent of freshly cut grass or the taste of coffee on your tongue.
• Sometimes, this degree of mobilisation (and shifting foci) is enough to help you reach a place of calmness. If it’s not, TSDMA might be just what you’re looking for (read on for more!)

2. Vocalise the Charge: ‘Voice’ is one of the 3 Pillars of TSDMA. It’s crucial for every woman to learn how to find, use and own her voice. Your voice serves you in every facet of your life, whether you’re dealing with a difficult relative and need to communicate your boundaries, asserting your worth at work when asking for a pay rise – or faced with a dangerous situation and need something before relying on your physical self-defence skills. That something is your voice. When we train and direct the voice with intent, it’s a reclamation of inner power – and a declaration of personal sovereignty. The woman who cannot raise her voice in a moment of threat is often the same woman who has spent years quieting herself in everyday situations. The two are the same wound, buried under the scar tissue of the Good Girl Syndrome. >> We work hard to break through the ‘Good Girl Syndrome’ in my beautiful Signature Program, ‘Warrior Emerging’.

To vocalise your charged emotions:

• Find a time and place where you are alone and safe.
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart or sit in a chair.
• Place one hand gently on your belly (hara in Japanese). Take a breath in. On the exhale, vocalise. Start with a low hum if a full voice feels too exposed.
• Over several rounds, allow the sound to grow into a sustained exhale. Vocalise ‘HA!’ or ‘BA!’ that comes from the hara, not the throat. If you feel self-conscious, know that this is a normal response. It means you’re inching on something real… keep going! 
• Be as loud as you feel comfortable and keep your body relaxed. This may be difficult if you’re feeling really angry! 
• Now extend your vocalisation to words. If you’re using ‘BA!’ try ‘Back off!’, one of my favourite Battle Cries. Battle Cries are explored in-depth in my ‘Warrior Emerging’ Signature Program; there are Battle Cries specifically for healing, some specifically for self-defence, and some, like ‘Back off!’ that can be used for both purposes. 
• Notice how you feel afterwards. You would likely feel an energetic, if not a physical release… without any physical movement!

3. Gentle Internal Martial Arts for Anger: The fast, hard and forceful punches and kicks of combat sports have made it synonymous with martial arts. This assumption has unfortunately, kept many women from ever stepping into the dojo – including women recovering from injury or managing pain, or experiencing perimenopause or menopause. Truth is, traditional martial arts is much broader (and older) than combat sports. Chinese Internal Martial Arts (nei chia) for instance, has been around for centuries. Archaeological evidence of qi gong-based exercises have appeared as early as 5000 BCE! Qi Gong was fundamentally created for health cultivation, not for self-defence. Popular nei chia styles that draw from qi gong practices and principles are tai chi chuan, ba gua zhang and hsing-i chuan.

To express your anger through nei chia, try this easy qi gong exercise, from the famous Pa Tuan Chin (‘China’s Eight Brocades’) set of exercises. 

Punching with Glaring Eyes

• Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart, and gently bend your knees in horse stance, ma bu. Your fists are held loosely in front of your chest.
• Slowly inhale. As you exhale, slowly punch with your left hand at a 45 degree angle. If you’re indoors, aim towards the corner of the room. Your clenched fingers should be facing the ground. Glare past your top two knuckles.
• Slowly return your left hand to your chest and inhale.
• Exhale as you gradually rise so you stand a little taller. Have both palms facing out with one in front of the other, still keeping your arms bent. Inhale and raise your hands above your head. Exhale and slowly circle them down like you’re describing a rainbow. Stop when your hands come beside your thighs.
• Bend your knees, inhale and come into ma bu again. Bring your fists in front of your chest. Repeat for the right side.
• Repeat at least twice more on both sides.

This qi gong exercise activates the Liver Meridian, which is in charge of the smooth flow of qi, Blood and emotions. Because charged emotions arise from stagnant Liver Qi, this is a great exercise to practice to enhance the flow of Liver Qi – and it doesn’t require much physical exertion.

---

Why TSDMA Martial Arts Therapy is perfect for Midlife Women seeking Emotional Alchemy or Holistic Empowerment

Nei chia practices, including qi gong, tai chi and ba mu zhang, are woven into ‘Warrior Emerging’ 1:1 Sessions for women who need a gentler entry point. This includes women in midlife who wish to embark on martial arts therapy for emotional alchemy and/or holistic empowerment. TSDMA is the heart and soul of ‘Warrior Emerging’. TSDMA was designed with the same intent as qi gong: for healing and health. Like qi gong, TSDMA techniques have corresponding meridians and acupoints, as well as psycho-emotional associations. TSDMA is self-defence and martial arts made over, modernised and tailored for emotional healing. Best of all, TSDMA translates beautifully into real-world self-defence.

If you’ve enjoyed these exercises but feel that you need more powerful strategies to cool the flames of your fury, download my Free Empowerment Toolkit: ‘How to Heal Anger and Frustration through Transformational Self-Defence and Martial Arts’ for 6 easy and effective TSDMA techniques to get you started.

You will find that TSDMA doesn’t require you to be fit, strong, flexible, ultra-coordinated or young. This makes it ideal for midlife women wishing to explore martial arts therapy for healing. TSDMA is tightly woven into your ‘Warrior Emerging’ 1:1 Sessions, which are customisable and flexible. (This is extremely beneficial if you, like some of my clients over 40, are experiencing perimenopause or menopause – and need exercises to build Kidney Yin as well as disperse stagnant Liver Qi.)

TSDMA techniques and strategies were built for real women in real bodies. Not athletes or karate champions. You.

🤜🏼 The techniques are designed to be accessible, easy to learn and practised in short bursts. (Cardio fitness is not required – because this isn’t chickboxing.) 

🏋🏼‍♀️ As women, we should never fight strength with strength in a real-life self-defence scenario. In both my Women’s Karate Class and with ‘Warrior Emerging’ sessions, I emphasise skill, strategy and smarts over the use of strength. This includes teaching you important power generation principles so that you not only embody your power, but learn to use your body efficiently to create power. (Strength isn’t required.)

🙆🏼‍♀️ You will practice once you’re ready, not once you’re warmed up. In fact, I don’t believe in warming up when it comes to self-defence, because it’s highly likely that your body would be ‘cold’ if you were caught in a dangerous situation. (Flexibility isn’t required; you don’t need to do the splits!)

🍴 If you can catch a ball or use a knife and fork simultaneously, that’s the degree of coordination that’s required to execute a punch, a block, practice the qi gong exercise above… or even a full disengagement sequence following my 6 Step Self-Defence Against Grabs ‘Recipe’. (TSDMA techniques, though full of meaning and intent, are physically simple!) If on the other hand, you’re super-coordinated, it would be my pleasure to introduce you to more complex blocks, locks and other techniques. (Coordination is not required – unless you want it to be!)

👵🏼 If you’re in your elder years and would prefer the more gentle exercises of nei chia Chinese Internal Kung Fu, personalised exercises can certainly be the core of your ‘Warrior Emerging’ Sessions. There is no class to keep up with. No comparison. No one-size-fits-all choreography. The nei chia traditions were developed precisely for sustained practice across an entire lifespan. With this in mind, you are never too old to do the transformative work of ‘Warrior Emerging’ – or the embodied, physical exercises. (Youth is not required.)

Engaging in martial arts therapy the way I do with my ‘Warrior Emerging’ clients is empowering and sustainable – especially for midlife women who often discover a new lease in life. Moreover, it can be life-changing for women over 40, women managing physical limitations, and for women who have never moved their bodies this way before.

---

The Big Takeaway

• If you struggle with charged emotions such as anger, frustration, rage (including Menopause Rage) and depression, there are strategies you can embrace from where you are now: 

1. Mobilise the Charge
2. Vocalise the Charge
3. Practise ‘Punching with Glaring Eyes’ qi gong exercise

➡️ Psst: If you practice these, let me know in the comments below which one is your favourite!

• If you need something stronger to shift your charged emotions, download my  Free Empowerment Toolkit: ‘How to Heal Anger and Frustration through Transformational Self-Defence and Martial Arts’ for 6 easy and effective techniques to get you started.  

• You don’t need to be fit, strong, flexible, coordinated and young to learn TSDMA! TSDMA techniques are simple; designed for midlife women wanting to heal and grow through the powerful vehicle of martial arts therapy. TSDMA is practised:

✅ In short bursts – so you don’t need to be fit

✅With emphasis on power generation principles and strategy – so you don’t need to be strong

✅ While your body is fairly cold and not warmed up (no, I don’t believe in warming up before self-defence!) – so you don’t have to be flexible 

✅ With simplicity in mind – so you don’t have to be ultra-coordinated. (If you can do ‘Punching with Glaring Eyes’, that’s the extent of coordination you need for TSDMA techniques and self-defence sequences!)

✅ By middle-aged women, just like you!

The most important thing you bring to ‘Warrior Emerging’ is not your fitness level or youth. It is your aliveness… your intent… your innermost Warrior Emerging.

---

You can unleash your Warrior Woman and step up to reclaim your power – at any fitness level and at any age.

Warrior Emerging: Your 4 Month Transformational Self-Defence and Martial Arts Empowerment Program

For the Spiritual Woman who is ready to transform her charged emotions and step into High Level, Whole Being Empowerment.

‘Warrior Emerging’ is my Signature Program: a powerful synthesis of Self-Defence, Martial Arts, Empowerment Coaching and Traditional East Asian Medicine, designed especially to turn anger and frustration into power and confidence. It is my unique style of martial arts therapy – and ideal for women in midlife who often struggle with charged emotions because of overwhelming modern stressors of the family/work/life juggle.

As a private ‘Warrior Emerging’ client, we will work intensively over 4 months in a combination of tailored 1:1 Sessions and online.

I am here to support you through moments of emotional healing – and incredible breakthroughs. We will work from however you arrive with your unique physical capacity, to alchemise your charged emotions into holistic empowerment. 

TSDMA is at the core of ‘Warrior Emerging’, with its physical techniques and strategies and underlying psycho-emotional and meridian correspondences. To reach holistic empowerment, we also need to explore the all-important ‘why?’ of your charged emotions. Enter the deep, introspective and transformative work of ‘Warrior Emerging’.

I am here to help you:

✅ Pinpoint the reason(s) for your charged emotions, and gain crystal-clear clarity on the Highest Empowered Version of You that’s waiting for you to meet her!

✅ Safely and effectively alchemise your charged emotions through TSDMA, from easy Qi Gong and Somatic Yoga exercises to Karate blocks and power generation principles to powerful Self-Defence strikes and strategies (This can include exercises to heal from sexual wounding).

✅ Learn important (yet quick!) energetic tools to complement the process of transmuting your emotions

✅ Bust through the Good Girl Syndrome (if it’s causing problems in your relationships, work and life, it’s diabolical when it comes to Self-Defence and safety!) << The Good Girl Syndrome is often the reason behind the trained silencing of your voice.

✅ Find – and use – your Voice in a Very. Big. Way.

✅ Set clear, firm Boundaries – in your life and in Self-Defence.

✅ Build shine-from-the-inside-out Confidence, as you discover the spiritual basis of Confidence and Self-Love.

✅ Understand crucial Prevention and Protection strategies and how to adopt a safety mindset. This includes my unique ‘4 Stages of Interception’ Model

✅ Learn what not to do in Self-Defence and Martial Arts! (This mistake alone took me years of precious practice to unlearn!)

✅ Become physically empowered in Self-Defence through learning tried-and-true disengagements from common grabs (and their variations) and other attacks. Perfectly suitable for beginners, this includes how to use ‘Everyday Weapons’ for Self-Defence as well as my 6-Step Self-Defence against Grabs ‘Recipe’

Warrior Woman, are you ready to step into your power from where you are?

Learn More about ‘Warrior Emerging’ and its Inclusions

Book Your Complimentary Discovery Call Now