Welcome to the first episode of the Fight for a Happy Life podcast, Are You a Fighter? In this show, I introduce myself (Hi there!) and the goal of spreading the wisdom of the martial arts to anyone and everyone. We then dive into the question of how we react when life blocks our pursuit…
Author: Ando Mierzwa
Ando Mierzwa is a martial arts teacher living in Los Angeles, CA.
Self-Defense Tips with Sensei Ando
I was a guest on the internet radio show Broad Topics with Laura Nickerson a few years ago. The topic was women’s self-defense tips. I thought it was lost forever… But guess what? I found it! You can still listen to the interview online! Amazing! Even better, you can listen to it right here. Just…
4 Actions for a Happy Life
You’re having a bad day. You feel detached from the world. Your belly gurgles with malaise. Your heart is a block of ice. Relax! There is hope! I’m embarrassed to say it took me over 30 years to figure out how to live a happy life. Of course, it would be more embarrassing if I…
Who Knows You the Best? It’s Probably Not You!
When I started Tae Kwon Do, I got kicked in the head. Not with a foot, but with a bold statement. My teacher told me he could tell everything he needed to know about me the moment I stepped on the mats. My posture, my movement, my eye contact…it all gave away who I was…
The Greatest Private Lesson for Martial Artists
Spending one-on-one time with a great teacher can be a life-changing experience. While I have benefited from many private lessons over the years, without a doubt, the greatest private lesson was with the legendary samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. Yes, Musashi is dead. Not just dead, but 350 years dead. But Musashi lives on because he wrote…
Motivation Is a Waste of Time
When I started martial arts, I became an evangelist. I begged everyone I knew to come to class with me. “Martial arts has it all! Fitness, wisdom, self-defense, self-knowledge!” But no one came. Ever. And I finally got the message—motivation is a waste of time! I made a pledge to move through the world not…
Yoga Can Hurt You!
Newsflash! Yoga can hurt you! Well, at least according to a New York Times article, How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body by William J. Broad. I bring this article to your attention for two reasons… First, I sounded a similar alarm about training injuries in the martial arts right here on SenseiAndo.com. Second, I think…