I was about 20 years old. I just finished BrandFord Hall Technical Institute. I was lost in life and not sure what I wanted to do. I was stressed out from school and needed some guidance.

As a kid, I loved martial arts movies and seeing wise masters who defeated opponents with just their words without lifting a finger and wisdom, but I was not sure if they existed in real life.

Being naive, I typed “kung fu martial arts” into Google. Luckily, Small Forest Temple, which translates to Shaolin temple, came up in Middletown, Connecticut.

Ancient rules for success

1. Know Thy Enemy (Know your challenge)
2. Know Thy Self
3. Behave Accordingly

This is what appeared on their website, along with the history and claims to have connections to the original Shaolin temple. They not only taught martial arts but also some ancient wisdom training. I was ecstatic and decided to show up at the next available class.

I showed up to a three-family house. I knocked, and a monk with a shaved head opened the door and led me to the floor that the dojo was on. We sat down, and he explained that this is not only martial arts but also Zen Buddhism, which also practices meditation and tai chi. This happened in 2009 before most people knew what meditation was.

The monk led into a near-empty room with a wooden floor and a bunch of meditation cushions spread on the floor. The teacher entered the room and sat on one of the cushions cross-legged. About four other students were already sitting, and he invited me to sit.

I sat down, and he asked if I knew how to meditate. I said no, and he proceeded to give me instructions. You inhale to the count of five through your nose and exhale to the count of ten through your mouth. When a thought comes to your mind, dismiss it and refocus on your counting. We do this for twenty minutes. he said

He hit a wooden tool that made a noise, and we began. Being a first time meditator, I started doing this with my mouth open, making a loud hissing noise every time I breathed in and out. One of the students came over and whispered in my ear, trying to breathe without making any noise.

I finally realized I was the only one breathing out loud, and the actual meditation began. It was like Torture; time seemed to pass slowly, and the twenty minutes seemed like forever. Thoughts kept coming, and I couldn’t focus on counting.

Meditating has many benefits, both spiritual to break karma and physical to help you relax and focus better. However, at the time, I just wanted it to stop.

After twenty long minutes, he hit the wooden device, and we stopped. Everybody got up, and it was time to do martial arts. The teacher said martial arts means life and here we practice life. Every single optical you face here, you face in life.

Once we began, he taught me how to throw a punch. He said not to over-extend because you will fall over, just like in life. Not to be stiff because you will crack just like in life. I knew it was the beginning of something special because not only had I found what I was looking for but I was also practicing with Shaolin monks.