Warrior's Way Podcast

James Eke talks about his personal experience during a First Nations traditional sweat lodge he took part in on a rooftop in Vancouver’s downtown Eastside. We also talk about how we can help those in need in our community and the first steps we all need to take to both understand and help.

James Eke looks at Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s writing on Fear. We talk about acceptance and non-judgement in our training and our lives as well as the importance of breathing and mindfulness. We answer a question on if CrossFit will improve your Jiu-Jitsu and how important it is to workout.

James Eke looks at US Navy Seal Admiral McRaven’s 2014 speech on how to change the world and your life. We talk about how we can learn from what the Admiral is saying to help improve our lives and amplify our training and make a difference. We answer a question about eating junk food and eating healthy.

James Eke takes a look at Stoic philosopher Seneca’s letter on living life preparing for death and what that really means. We also talk some more about Jiu-Jitsu and why it is important as well as the need to train in multiple martial arts.

James Eke looks at memory and mindfulness and how Zen and Jiu-Jitsu can help us to be more present in our lives. We also answer a listener question about training in Krav Maga.

James Eke looks at the incredible mind opening Allegory Of The Cave by Plato. We talk about open-mindedness and perception in life and training. We also talk about why you need Jiu-Jitsu in your life as well as other martial arts.

James Eke looks at the Taoist text Xiang’er Twenty Seven written around 200 AD to point towards how to live a more harmonious life. We also look at tourism as a martial arts path.

James Eke looks at a 1908 letter written by Sensei Anko Itosu on ten key principles to keep in mind when training. These principles are important not only to Karate but to any martial art. We also look at the importance of putting children in the martial arts.

James Eke looks at Moshe Feldenkrais’ book Judo — The Art Of Defence And Attack. This is an amazing book for anyone who studies Judo or Jiu-Jitsu or the martial arts in general. We also answer a question about how to continue our training when we are deployed or otherwise unable to get into the dojo.

James Eke looks at an article written by the incredible martial artist and author Donn Draeger on issues that degrade a martial art when the sport aspect as well as age-ism is overly encouraged. We also talk about how to deal with motivation to get in and train.

James Eke looks at Shotokan Karate founder Gichin Funakoshi Sensei’s 20 Precepts Of Karate-Do and how to implement them into our training and our lives. We also talk about what to do when life is just a struggle and things seem against us.

James Eke looks at a chapter from the brilliant book, Zen In The Martial Arts, on Joe Hyams meeting Bruce Lee. We look at the need to be open-minded in our training and life. We talk about the idea of using marijuana while doing Jiu-Jitsu and whether it is the best of plans or not.

James Eke looks at Tibetan Buddhist monk and teacher Pema Chodron’s article Not Causing Harm. We also talk about how much you should train when you are first starting out.

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2019 from me to you.

James Eke takes a look at an article attributed to Mitsuyo Maeda, the man who taught Jiu-Jitsu to a young Carlos Gracie (who himself would go on to found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). We also look at what more we can do to get more from our training.

James Eke looks at an article written in 1910 by one of the first western women to teach Jiu-Jitsu, Edith Garrud. Edith secretly taught women in the UK suffragette movement of the early 1900s Jiu-Jitsu from her Soho school. She also trained an elite 30-woman bodyguard whose job it was to protect the leaders of the women’s rights movement. We also talk about whether or not you really need to show up for class given that you already pay your financial dues to your Dojo.

James Eke takes a look at Samurai legend and woman warrior Tomoe Gozen and we talk about the importance of having more women in the martial arts not just in classes but in leadership roles. He also answers questions about children in the martial arts.

James Eke takes a tackle of Jocko’s Good from the Jocko Podcast and the book Disciple Equals Freedom. We also look at frustration in our training and what to do about it.

James Eke looks at Dogen’s masterpiece as well as Zen Master Jiyu Kennett’s commentary on it. We extract from it what is important not just in Zen but in our martial arts training. We also come up with three important things to do for yourself off the mats.

James Eke looks at letters from the 1930s written by the first western female black belt during her two years of intense Judo training in pre-WW2 Japan. We also look take a hard look at what we should do when things get hard in life and training.