Follow my family trip to Pangasinan, the birthplace of my father, a place he hasn’t returned to in over 50 years. We carry the lessons of ancestral land within us always and everywhere.

Do you have memories from your first trip to the Philippines?

✨ Become the Warrior Your Ancestors Dreamed Of ✨

Learn how to connect with your ancestors and the power in your body through the practice of Kali, Filipino Martial Arts

I've been getting ready for a trip to the Philippines 🇵🇭 next month with my entire family. The last time I visited the Philippines with my parents, I was just 6 years old. Since then, I've returned three times on my own, seeking answers to questions around home and belonging. Making those later trips as an adult helped me to understand the complex and intricate web of ancestral, cultural, colonial, and familial influences on my identity.

I'd love to offer some guidance on your training journey, whether you're just starting or have been practicing for a while. Even as someone with experience, I find these reminders helpful, especially when training feels challenging.

In my experience, there's a depth of learning that happens in the doing or in the actual training. Feeling at home in my body invokes within me a feeling of closeness to my ancestors that goes beyond any book learning. It's hard for me to explain in words, but there are evolving answers for us in the practice of being in our bodies.

What if we shifted our perspective and embraced each season as an opportunity to renew our devotion to the ancestral altar of our bodies?

An embodied practice will both unravel you and rebuild you -- from your physical body to all your previously held beliefs. It will show you your enmeshment with your ancestors and your complete sovereignty as a unique human being. It will show you that you can fight harder than you thought possible, and that there is also wisdom in surrendering. It will ask you to embrace contradiction and paradox at all stages of the journey.

If you have ancestry from the Philippines and you feel the call to train, then Kali can serve as a dual-purpose vehicle: a deeper spiritual motivator for practical purposes. It taps into ancestral healing and connection, while providing a container and practice that can improve your physical and mental health.

Do you sometimes feel disconnected from your roots? I get it. Growing up, I used to struggle with this constant feeling like I was missing something. I kinda felt untethered. Being biracial with a Filipino father and a mixed European mother, I often wondered where I fit in. My connection to Filipino culture was mainly through pancit, adobo, and other traditional dishes that my dad cooked. It was also through the tidbits of Tagalog spoken at family gatherings, or through quirky customs that weren’t shared by my white American friends – like karaoke on the big screen TV in the basement at my uncle’s house. I wondered what really made up being Filipino? If I could figure that out, did I have enough of it? Would I ever feel Filipino enough?

✨Become the Warrior Your Ancestors Dreamed Of:

Learn how to connect with your ancestors and the power in your body through the practice of Kali, Filipino Martial Arts✨

New Chrysalis Kali merchandise! “I am the Warrior my Ancestors Dreamed of” baby onesie!

What is your definition of freedom when it comes to your body and movement? How do you imagine movement unfolding across your lifetime?

I rediscovered that my belonging extended beyond being solely Filipino, biracial, woman, or warrior; I was a part of the universal human experience. Though I am a student of martial arts and have had many instructors, Mother Nature has always been my Grandmaster. Patiently waiting for me to learn her most fundamental lesson: to trust and surrender back into the flow of life. I know now our warrior ancestors understood this deep wisdom; wisdom that we’re beginning to reclaim.

Anting antings have a long history in Filipino Martial Arts. Escrimadors or practitioners of the martial arts in the Philippines would often carry an amulet or talisman with them for protection. Anting antings are mystical objects of power. They could be anything from a crocodile 🐊 tooth, medallion worn around the neck, or oraccion (prayer) tattooed on the body. There are many stories of escrimadors who claimed their anting anting made them invinsible. These magical tokens would be passed down through the family or from teacher to student. Essentially, it’s something that can focus your will, or something you can draw emotional or spiritual spiritual strength from.

How do you want to feel? How to use movement to bring in more of what you’re longing for.

What if some distant ancestor magically time traveled from hundreds of years ago and appeared on your doorstep to give you a gift… How would you treat that gift? For sure, you'd cherish it like it was some treasure that could never be replaced, and you’d pass this priceless heirloom along to your grandchildren.

Your body, health, and DNA can be seen in the same way.

What if strengthening our bodies was an act of gratitude towards our ancestors? What if our bodies were our ancestral altars, and each bead of sweat shed during exercise, a sacred offering?

What’s your relationship to rest? How do you know your body is actually relaxed? The same way we can identify the sensations and signals our body gives us when we’re in danger (for example: elevated heart rate, sweaty palms, queasy stomach, tightness in chest, etc). Our body also tells us when we’re adequately at rest.

Fear is the body’s most ancient ally.