A designer meets Kung Fu

Why a designer like me want to praticie Kung Fu?

I was turning 60 and practicing a martial art was not part of my plans. This is the story of the Kung Fu Lady and her journey.

At the time I was a partner and manage a large design office in Rio de Janeiro. After more than 30 years of intense work, I considered myself a accomplished professional in my field. Finally, I made my dreams come true.

However, the success I was experiencing didn't stop me from question myself on the responsibility and social role of the designer in a scenario of unbridled consumption and ecological imbalance. I began to feel a growing unhappiness whose cause, many times, I couldn't completely identify. 

The world was changing rapidly and something was also changing inside me. As a consultant I knew that this was a sign that indicated the end of a cycle. It was necessary to renew my purpose in order to move forward.

I also knew that the decisions to be taken would not be easy, they would demand time, perseverance and they had to follow a strategy. It would take a lot of courage to give up the security of the known and the social image that I had built for so many years.

In this Blog I will share with you how Kung Fu changed my life in an unexpected and profound way.

This is the beginning of my journey as a martial artist and the story of an umprobable encounter.

An umprobable encounter ?

Ving Tsun Kung Fu entered my life at this moment of personal and professional crisis. I knew I had to change but still had no idea what the path to transformation would be like.

Inês Braconnot, dear friend and Kung Fu practitioner, told me about Ving Tsun and its philosophy. She explain to me that Kung Fu was more than a fight and that it could help me take the necessary decisions in this moment of my life. 

My knowledge about Kung Fu was limited to Bruce Lee’s movies and the Kung Fu TV show with David Carradine.  This series told the saga of a monk from the Shaolin Monastery (China) who travels through the Old American West looking for his brother, armed only with his spiritual training and his ability in martial arts. I loved the conversations between the old Kung Fu Master and the boy nicknamed Grasshopper. 

Based on these few references and the trust in my friend I decided to visit the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Martial Inteligence Center at Copacabana.

I was welcomed by a young woman – Senior Master Ursula Lima – who asked me about my interest in Kung Fu.

I went straight to the point - I was almost 60, and had never practiced martial arts. Although I was physically well, I was not sure if I would be able to face a physical and mental practice that would put me out of my comfort zone and make me face my fears.

On the other hand, like so many women of my generation I feared the physical confrontation, the aggressiveness of the fight. I knew that I had several blockages resulting from a sexist education which defined patterns of female behavior and certainly did not fully know my strength.

So I confessed to Master Ursula that practicing Kung Fu meant a great challenge for me and, I added that the good part was that I loved being challenged.

And then she said to me: "That's good! Let's go slowly, step by step. You'll make it..."

Thus reported

Angela Carvalho "Moy On Gaak Lai" ,

Fourth Disciple of Senior Master Ursula Lima 'Moy Lin Mah' and member of the Council of Disciples of the Moy Lin Mah Family along with Rodolpho Alcântara, André Villarreal, Helena Carneiro, Fernanda Lima, Heitor Furtado, Vítor Barros and Marcus Souza.

Learn more about the Moy Lin Mah Family:

Copacabana Unit, Brazil

www.moylinmahmun.myvt-rio.org

Cascais Unit, Portugal

www.myvt-portugal.org