Before I laced up boxing gloves or grappled on a mat, I trained in kung fu. I was fortunate enough to study at a Seattle school where legendary martial artist Bruce Lee once taught. I never met him, of course, but being in that space, I felt a connection to his energy and way of thinking.
I remember one of our earliest kung fu lessons: the horse stance. We would plant ourselves low, knees shaking, and toes gripping the floor and occasionally going numb. Our shifu, a Chinese term for teacher, would walk past us, eyes sharp.
