Meredith found a sexy way to center herself in the unlikeliest of places - the neighborhood dojo.
Meredith's Story
"Martial arts, for me, is totally crazy and geeky and fun."
I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be a martial artist. It all started when my boyfriend brought me to a dojo in San Francisco. I had been involved with the Burning Man festival and a lot of other crazy, fun activities, and decided it was time to grow up a little and try something new. What initially brought me to the practice of martial arts was seeing children and their families practicing together. The dojo gave me a great feeling of love and connectedness.
"The freedom that martial arts has given me is centered around feeling sexy and secure."
When I walk down the street, I feel great. I know I can protect and defend myself, I'm prepared for it. The very practice of martial arts means that your body is clothed in uniform, so I don't deal with the body issues that I used to experience and I know a lot of my women friends still experience. Having a uniform allows me to be viewed as the same as everyone that I practice with.
With martial arts, I feel safe in my body. There is a level of confidence I hold in my body when I walk down the street everyday. If I am wearing high heels or I am dressed up for some event, there is no question in my mind that I am alert, my head is up, my focus is up, and I am attuned to my environment. The confidence that I gained in martial arts practice radiates in a way that yoga practice never gave me. The practice of martial artistry has connected my mind, body and spirit. I no longer see sex appeal as having to do with my hair or figure - it's more about how I feel inside.
"I have noticed many great changes in my body."
The first change I noticed was in my pelvic structure and muscles. I noticed that, all of a sudden, I was getting all of these strong lower abdominal muscles and that was a key difference for me. My arms started getting built out, and it's not like I'm in a gym lifting weights. Secondly, my balance is totally different than it's ever been. I even had an injury and healed so quickly because I was able to get in touch with my body.
