Building a Dojo
If you have been around gyms much in your life at all, you understand that each training center has a different feel that reflects on you as the student or teacher. When you walk into a training center or gym for the first time, you are going to instantly have a first impression. Your senses are going to tell you 99% of what you need to know in the first few minutes. Only you know what you are looking for and what you need, but the space tells you everything if you allow it to. You will take in the cleanliness, the customer service, the colors, the smells as well as the overall look and feel. You will notice the music, the people, the way the people interact with each other and even the way they are dressed. Generally speaking, you will be able to describe how you feel about the training environment in under 5 minutes. Ultimately, we all decide very quickly on whether we think a gym is good fit for our needs.
At Quantum Martial Arts we take a very intentional stance on how we want our space to look, feel and be for our community. We know that what we build will influence the character of the people who are drawn to us, and we are looking for smart, articulate, creative people who share a passion for learning. We want our space to be a reflection of the world we want to live in, and we ask our students to participate in that ownership. We have found that for martial arts to be successful, the students must feel they own their journey and are a part of a living art. This feeling deepens the commitment and the dedication it takes to be a life-long martial artist. The dojo also must give the student the feeling that it is open for them to participate in freely and enjoy the art of movement without fear of being physically or emotionally attacked. The irony is that we also want to create a space where we can push each other and ourselves to explore our edges, to play with flight or fight instincts and to grow our confidence, balance and strength.
When you walk into a Quantum dojo, we want the space to welcome you in a way that sparks your curiosity. We want it to feel safe and for you to feel inspired. Our goal is to help encourage you to explore what martial arts could mean to you. There is a certain mysticism that you will probably feel when you enter one of our dojos. This feeling comes by building a space with intention, rooting it in ritual and focusing on good energy flow. This feeling never goes away, and in time, the space draws you in. The space itself shares in your story, supports your growth, and challenges you to take risks on and off the mat. With the right approach, failure will be met with growth and will help remove mental and physical limitations. The dojo itself encourages openness and resonates the truth; as you evolve, the space evolves with you. As you seek the truth in the dojo, you let go of the past, move into the present, and a whole world of opportunity opens up. This, in itself, is the path of the martial artist.
Over the years our community has built several dojos. Each time we get a little bit better at building a space that serves our community. As we grow, we learn more about what our diverse community needs to create the blank canvas and how we can serve each other. We consider our dojo to be our training partner, and the best training partners are there for you when and how you need them to be. Our dojos are never complete; they are living breathing spaces that are dynamic and free flowing. We believe that our dojo is a reflection of the collective energy of our community. We want our community to be able to bring the dojo into their own life and to understand that a dojo can be created anywhere. The mentality of transporting the dojo into your life and creating spaces in your own world that center you is part of what Quantum hopes to instill.
In Japanese, the word dojo means the place of the way. We believe the way to be embodied in our martial arts as the grace of movement and the integration of mind, body and spirit.
So, here we are in Portland, OR where we just founded our new chapter in 2020. Quantum Martial Arts was originally founded in 1995 by Master Rachael Evans. We now have over 27 years of experience building dojos, and we have learned many lessons. Quantum Portland includes an experienced group of martial artists and teachers locally who have been teaching and training together for some time prior to moving to Portland. Over the last two years, we have had the opportunity to intentionally visualize what we want our Quantum dojo and community to look like. Our community, though small, is built on resiliency. Over the last two years, we have trained in the rain, in the sun and in the shade with a cool breeze. We have trained virtually, in person distanced with masks, with no contact, with contact and in every way you can imagine. We have learned to elevate the consciousness of our group and bring our sense of dojo to every place we train. Now we are ready to establish our roots.
As we move forward and grow, we are looking to create an inviting safe space for our diverse group of teachers, students, parents and extended community members. We want the space to encourage people to challenge themselves. We want it to be a space for healing and self-actualization; a blank canvas for creating our journey. We want the art to enhance how families treat each other and to give kids the tools they need to succeed in life. We have now settled into a shared space with Traditional Tae Kwon-Do in the Southeast district of Portland. We are adding training time, a variety of classes, new equipment, and we are figuring out what our community needs. In essence, we are building our dojo, and we look forward to sharing in that experience with our extended community.
With the help of our students and volunteers, Quantum has transformed spaces before into Quantum unique dojos, and we will do it again! This time, we are fortunate to enter a partnership with a well-established dojo and community. Master Gil Johnson of Traditional Tae Kwon-Do was kind enough to open his space to us after training with Quantum several years back in San Francisco. Master Johnson has been training in this Portland location for nearly 40 years, and he brings a passion to safety and student well-being that is shared with Quantum. Together both schools have an opportunity to share in this exciting experience.
