Testimonial Paul Brooks

On 6th May 1954 in Oxford, Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile. Before then, no one thought it was possible.

Reports say that he didn’t have some amazing physical training programme; he trained for one hour per day, in his lunch break. His edge? It was mental training.

Before each match he would spend a long time sharpening his spikes; this was meditation for him. It was his mental preparation which enabled him to achieve what others could not.

I started ki class in 2004 because I thought it would provide a way to acclimatise my generally stiff and graceless body to the physical demands of hapkido, which I'd started a year earlier.

And the gentle stretching exercises certainly helped that aspect of my training - but it soon became apparent that wasn't its only benefit...

Because apart from learning new ways to release aches and pains in my body and relax and stretch tense muscles, ki class has also provided me with the tools to be able to park my mind away from the hubbub of work hassles or other demands when I need some quiet time.

The deep breathing exercises and gentle movements have a genuine calming effect and I consider what I have learnt and continue to learn in ki class a necessary life tool. It's like finding a place of calm in the centre of a whirlwind and I now have the ability to find that quiet space within myself regardless of where I am or what I'm doing.

Even better I find my mind is clear and totally focused after I've spent time engaged in ki exercise and this has had genuine benefits in not only my hapkido studies but also in my life as both a journalist and a writer and, most importantly, as a husband and stepfather.