I’ve been looking for a way to punch up my yoga practice.

My find turned out to be quite literal.

In the past month, I’ve taken up a martial art style called krav maga. It was developed by the Israeli Defense Forces.

*Insert puzzled look here.*

“What?” You ask. “Isn’t this in diametrical (and philosophical) opposition to yoga?”

Krav maga means “close combat” in Hebrew and is a mixed, no-holds-barred martial art that’s efficient, quick-to-learn and teaches punches and kicks to the groin and jabs to the eyes as essential parts of its style.  Yoga means “union” in Sanskrit. 

In their origins, the two are very different, but in their applications, they parallel.

Krav does focus on reactions to external stimuli – such as an attacker - but like yoga, the training prepares you to find calm inside. In a yoga class you might be holding a strenuous pose and have to breathe through the discomfort and find a place of calmness.

In the martial art, you might also be in a difficult place such as fending off five attackers. Through practice, you learn to react more strategically instead of blindly kicking or punching from a place of fear or raw adrenaline. And as with yoga, when you’re fighting, you begin to learn about yourself. You discover your ingrained habits and your weaknesses as much as you do your strengths.

These two new hobbies complement each other: krav gives you strength. The pushups and punches we do in class complement the sun salutations. I’m stronger, and I can hold my yoga poses better. I’m flexible from yoga, so I can kick higher in krav.

Besides a shot of much-needed endorphins, krav has given me a new burst of confidence and assertiveness.

There is something incredibly empowering about learning self-defense. I’m a girly girl, but I haven’t ever quite outgrown my tomboy roots. My competitiveness comes out when I’m the only woman (or one of two).

I’ve been speaking my mind more and assertively laying some ground rules for people in my life – especially those of the opposite sex. Creating those boundaries has made me happier.  And so has learning to kick someone’s butt.

Here’s a clip from an episode of Fight Quest, where Jimmy and Doug go to Israel and train with the world’s best krav maga instructors and the IDF. My class is not this intense - yet.