Frontline Martial Arts and Wellness

​ Hey guys,  I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I took a little break after Correctional Officer week. I enjoyed the live wellness workouts and I am planning on doing more. Plus got some good feedback and saw some success. Last week also brought some change for me. I will likely be starting a new job with the Ontario Public Service. That is going to bring a lot of changes for me and my family. But, it will also bring some changes here. Stay tuned. This news has also brought some anxiety and stress. I noticed it right away because I was acting abnormally. I was fatigued, short tempered and self centred. This told me that I needed to search in myself to figure out why? I have identified why and am working through my thoughts, feelings and beliefs to find what no longer serves me. Also I am upping my self care practices. I am not all the way through this episode but I am getting there. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I am getting much better day by day. The live drum meditation was a success Tuesday. Because of that success I want to do live wellness workouts through  our Facebook page. I want to build on a successful venture, but more importantly I want to deliver a stress busting workout. The Correctional Officers family has lost to many to suicide. Not just this year, but for many years. I want to do what I believe will help relieve entirely treatable conditions and avoid further, needless tragedies.  Join in if you’re interested in a relaxing martial arts workout. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I have been getting over something for these past few weeks.  Join me tonight for a guided drum meditation at this link https://www.facebook.com/events/438917208508483/ . Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I have been doing some writing for a book today. My subject was self expression and how it helps with stress and service injuries. In my recovery I found that I buried a lot of feelings that were uncomfortable to express, even painful.  But, it ultimately needed to and would come out.  Self expression, be it dancing, singing, martial arts, and many more are ways to turn down our emotional pressure in a controlled way. I believe it better to get our feelings out on our own terms rather than them exiting on their own. Uncontrolled emotions often have harmful consequences. So, find your self-expression thing and do it. Don’t bottle up your feelings. They’ll rot away at you from the inside out. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I’ll be leading a drum meditation. A half hour to relax and listen. Be well,

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. The picture attached is heartwarming, cute, and funny. To see Mohamed Ali knocked down in his prime by a little kid is absurd. It is obviously a staged photo opportunity. But, from the look on the kids face he is having the time of his life. But, what most comes to mind when I see The Champ lose to a child is humility. I have seen other boxers/martial artists of renown contributing and uplifting young people. Amir Khan, GGG, Steven Seagal, and Chuck Norris. I’ve even heard of the infamous Floyd Mayweather Jr. routinely taking time out to contribute to kids. Now, I feel I need to make mention that non-celebrities do the same everyday, the celebrities just have cameras following them around. Now back to the main topic, humility. Could you imagine for a moment being as famous, right now, at this moment, as Mohamed Ali was in his prime. Now imagine you get this photo opportunity and chance to teach a kid. First, would you take the contract?...

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. My social media fast went well. Broke it once to deliver a good joke and an eclipse message. The difference is I knew what I wanted to do got it done and closed the app.  I find that when I begin to obsess over social media is when I begin to lose my centre. That is when I begin to believe that the news is an accurate representation of the world outside. It isn’t in my opinion. Another benefit to less social media was some honest rest and relaxation. Also, I had time to finish another two courses, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Drumming Circle Leadership. Stay tuned for word of a live drum session on Facebook. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys,  I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I am good. My social media break is going great. I am really clearing my head and focusing on what I need, want and what doesn’t serve me anymore.  Today we are having an eclipse. In ancient times eclipses were symbolic of death and rebirth or letting go of old baggage to clear the way for better days. I am taking time today to reflect on what no longer serves me and what I want to focus on in the future. It is a good practice to take stock of ourselves and see if we are living the life we want. Be well, Sensei Mike 

​ Hey guys,  I hope everyone is happy and healthy. Have any of you ever not known what to say? When you have ideas a plenty but no juice to make them reality.  I feel like that, tired and strung out. It happens to everyone. That’s the time to rest. Shut some of the extra noise down and focus on your basics. To be honest, I am not actually going camping. Shame I know. But, what I am doing is focusing on my basic responsibilities. From now until Tuesday I am taking a social media break. I want to enjoy the eclipse with a clear mind, ready to receive the beauty and lessons of Nature. See you Wednesday. Stay positive. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. This picture is brought to you by PEACEFUL WARRIOR BLACK BELT CLUB.  I find, after trying to write this for what seems like an hour, that I have nothing to say. My mind is still scrambled from yesterday’s news. None of us knew how hard he must have been fighting to do his daily thing. Who knew how hard he had to fight to be the good person we remember. I don’t know. I also don’t know how hard you have to fight just to present as you are.  I only know how hard I have to fight to keep my head while I feel anger. How hard I have to fight lashing out at perceived threats when I am scared. How hard I have to fight to stick around when I feel vulnerable and alone. If you need help over the news yesterday. Reach out to a therapist, community hotlines, and/or people you trust. Reach out to me if you need to, however, I am not a licensed psychotherapist, I am only hear to listen, not diagnose. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. Also I hope you are enjoying your loved ones on this special day, be it religious or a holiday for you. Ontario Corrections lost another to suicide today. I feel sad and angry. We lose to many good people to the darkness.  The darkness being the trauma, the pain, and the anger we carry from our service.  People try to fight it and/or deny it. You can’t! It is a part of us, wether we like it or not. The best solution I see and experienced is acceptance and taking steps towards healing.  Rest in peace Officer. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I had a difficult meeting this morning. The person I was dealing with was untrustworthy and constantly attempted to pull the wool over my eyes. Behaving in a way that is hard to respect because it lacked basic respect for myself and my intelligence. However, this was not a worry though. I knew my goals going into the meeting and how it fit into my overall plan. If you have a clear heart you know what your goal is. If you have a clear mind you can make a sound plan and see it through the ups and downs of life. This gives you a will as strong as the forces of nature. Use your weapon wisely. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy.  Still working to find a go between for my camcorder and my computer. I used to do it before but the equipment needed can’t be found. It is getting frustrating and I am feeling angry. Do you get like that when you have a problem you’re helpless to solve?  I bet most people do. What I try to remember is my Stoicism. I cannot attain the solution right now. The only thing I can do is focus on and work towards a solution. When I get angry I lose focus. Therefore becoming angry is counterproductive. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy.  Still having technical difficulties with regards to producing videos. The live action ones I put out from my cellphone lack the quality I want. The odyssey continues. As for the picture. That is my pintail skateboard/balance trainer. Part of my healing has brought me back to activities I used to enjoy, i.e. bicycling and skateboarding. Also working the skateboard has been a good low intensity treatment and strengthening exercise for my injury. Pintail skateboards are in the category of longboard/cruiser. The  bushings are soft to accommodate for carving/slalom movement and inertia generation. These soft bushings make for a tippy skateboard, perfect for balancing exercise. I practiced pushing, transitioning, and balancing on both sides/regular and fakie. I was practicing on the padded dojo floor which lessened the rolling factor by a lot. So I also forced the wheels to turn to work lateral movement. I felt my muscles from my lo...

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I needed a quiet meditative day today. My mind began to become cluttered with thoughts and worries. So, getting my basics done, but for the rest of my time. Quiet, no music, tv, computer, Xbox, or social media. As a musician I am working on strengthening my hearing by listening and focusing on hard to hear or unusual sounds. The picture is of a Mandala I created for this purpose.  Mandala’s come from Eastern spiritual traditions. Although, I learned about them through Carl Gustav Jung, an early 20th century psychologist and colleague of Sigmund Freud.  Dr. Jung would create beautiful mandala paintings for meditation purposes. All you need to do is create a picture with regular shapes and patterns without planning. Create the picture as it comes. Then try using it to look upon when you practice meditation. Be well, Sensei Mike

​ Hey guys,  I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I put a lot of stock in philosophy. It is important, I feel, to create rules that define our lifestyle and behaviour. We all carry our own personal philosophies in life. Equally, it is a tricky subject judging positive and negative philosophies, i.e. what I see as good behaviour you may view as poor, and vice versa. I can see this becoming rocky fast so I’ll continue with explaining why I chose Stoicism. I had reached a point in my life where my philosophy cobbled together from my experiences in life was failing me. The pillars I leaned upon began shifting. As a consequence my emotions were getting the better of me and my prized discipline became weak. I am an unabashed Star Trek fan and I respect the Vulcans on that show. Although, they feel with more passion and force then we do they always come across as disciplined and controlled. Equally, they showed immense amounts of compassion and respect for others (two behaviours I respec...

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. We got some upsetting news here. Upsetting for the whole family, again, lol. Oh well, what are you going to do? I could get t’ed off. I could let the anger and frustration in me rise. I could even let that anger and frustration activate my dark side. Then I could let that shadow self behind the driver’s wheel of my being. By that type A driver is finished my vehicle will more than likely be ready for the wreckers. Or, I could not worry about what is not in my control. I have no influence on the upsetting event. I cannot control the people involved. I can’t even control the feelings of the people in my family in an attempt  to help. All I have control over is myself, my thoughts, my emotions, and my behaviour. All I can do is show support for my loved ones and not let this situation get me off of my center. I need to stand stable in space if I am going to be of real service. So you could spray your energy, time, and effort in all dir...

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I haven’t been to active here the past couple of days. Been fighting something off. I feel as though I should… but I have to remember should only exists on paper in my opinion. If rest is needed, take it. Realizing what you need when you need it is a part of being yourself.  I continue to learn how difficult it is to  do what is in the quote below. The more we learn about ourselves through education and introspection, the more triggers and trauma we find. So we analyze, learn, practice and integrate. After that we discover a new self with greater power and potential, but also a new set of previously buried triggers. The process then starts a new. So, in my opinion, being yourself is a constant process of discovery that continues on for our lives. The benefits of this life long journey is that the more trauma we heal from the more power we receive. While we’re lightening ourselves from those energetic burdens we free up more ene...

​ Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I had a realization of how my recovery is progressing. Very well, if you were asking. Hahaha Sunday I received treatment from an individual that created a wave in my family. Everybody was affected by this individual. Enough to anger anyone? Yes, it was, it is, and I am sure it always will be. I am human after all and my family is as well. The realization came when I noticed that, although I was steaming angry, I wasn’t being moved into unbalance. In other words, my emotions actually weren’t dictating my actions.  As you guys know I practice a Stoic philosophy. Quick briefing on Stoicism. Stoic’s believe that concerning themselves with issues outside of their control invites unhealthy stress. One of the things that is in our control is how we react to stimuli from the outside world. In my case, I am capable of controlling myself to a greater degree because I have progressed in my healing, I have been trained, and I have practiced. If...

  Hey guys, I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I uploaded a relaxing music journey using a drum, a juice harp, a rattle, and 10hz binaural beats. The binaural beats brings you into an Alpha, or relaxed brainwave state. Then you get carried off by the beat of the drum, the tang of the juice harp, and the mysterious shaking of the rattle. You may find yourself dancing, which on the face of it doesn't seem relaxing. However, at the end you find yourself free, relaxed and ready. Check out the full version of the reel on our YouTube account at https://youtu.be/8m4DT_ltCWs. Check out the soundtrack to this video on my Soundcloud account at https://soundcloud.com/michael-doucette-514549408/relaxation-journey?si=03d97456dae8445588f85d27b1028312&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Be well, Sensei Mike