Mrs. Terri Crews

Stillness of Movement

          In order to accomplish the Chinese philosophy of Ying and Yang, one must first find a rare balance between stillness and movement. This requires years of extremely challenging mental and physical training. At Sonoma County Martial Arts Center (SCMAC) a woman we all know as “Mrs. Crews” exhibits a wonderful demonstration of this balance everyday.

          What were the experiences that led Mrs. Crews to become the woman, the instructor, and the friend we know her to be? She was introduced to Kenpo Karate through her oldest son when he began taking lessons from the founder of SCMAC, Master Herb Cody. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Crews’ passion for movement lured her into taking her first lesson in Karate, and after her first punch she knew she was in love with Kenpo Karate.

          What Mrs. Crews discovered after years of practice was that Kenpo gave her the confidence to trust herself physically as well as mentally, enabling her to more easily handle difficult obstacles that came her way. Tai Chi gave her a knowledge and appreciation of slower movement and the satisfaction of taking things at a calmer and more meditative pace. The internal Chinese meditative practice of Qigong also gave her a strong awareness of the energy she had within, and how to use it towards achieving a   positive balance in life.

          Mrs. Crews achieved the rank and honors of 4th Degree Black Belt at SCMAC she continues to study and improve upon her Martial Arts and meditative practices daily. “It’s an on going practice...there is always room for improvement”, Mrs. Crews tells us. She demonstrates the unique balance of stillness (through Qigong) and movement (through Kenpo Karate) and helps to connect the two by Tai Chi when she teaches students these disciplines at the SCMAC.
                                                                                      Written by Erin Walsh