About Me

The Power of Commitment... and BELIEF!

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth - the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
 Begin it now"

 —J. W. von Goethe (famous German philosopher and poet of the 18th century)

Hi, My name is Janou Lightning, and I have been practicing Koryu Bujutsu (classical Ninjutsu and Samurai) fighting techniques for over 5 years.   

How did I get here...Let me tell you a story...
I've always considered myself to be an entrepreneur, a quiet leader, doing business in my own way, paving my own path, beating to my own drum.  My motto for business, is, and has always been - Which ever way your competition is going, run the other way!   Growing up, I had two main goals, One, to be an athlete, the other to be a business woman.  I never quite seemed to be able to get those two goals working together until now.  

I have participated in numerous athletic endeavors, including competitive swimming, competitive outrigger canoeing, competitive ocean swimming, competitive horseback riding, but at 47 years of age, I didn't want to compete anymore, but there didn't seem to be any type of physical activity that caught my attention.  I was tired of the gym.  I couldn't stand the treadmill anymore, or the stairmaster.  I tried a personal trainer and circuit training, but by the time I got to the 3rd and last round of my circuit, I knew I wouldn't be back.  I was so bored, I barely made it thru the workout.  Every day that I got up to work out, I felt like I had hit the wall BEFORE I had even started working out.  I tried all different kinds of yoga, but it didn't hold my interest, and while I loved long bike rides on the beach,  I hated spinning.  

Here I was, having gained more weight than I realized, and not having a clue as to what I wanted to do for exercise or to get myself back into shape, with mind, body and spirit.  My mother (who was my best friend) had passed away a few years earlier, so I didn't have her to turn to, to bounce ideas off of, and I realized that I had to find something that would help me in mind, body and spirit. 

One day, I went to the beach (luckily, I live within walking distance) and was staring out into the ocean, when I said to myself, that "today was going to be the day that I would come up with an answer as to what I wanted to do with the athletic portion of my life".  As I was watching the surfers, I thought maybe that would be a good, fun thing to do, but then I decided that I didn't want to be in the sun all day, and maybe that is why I never really took it up when I was younger, (as I have lived near the beach for most of my entire life). 

So then..., there was martial arts, but what kind? 
I tried Karate for about one month, but didn't like that.  All the yelling gave me a headache.   I tried Tai Chi.  I liked it, but it just wasn't quite enough for me.  I got home from the beach, sat down in front of the computer, looked up martial arts in my local area, and then my future appeared. 

A Martial Arts dojo, teaching authentic Ninjutsu and Samurai Techniques.  I thought to myself, could this be possble that someone actually teaches the Art of the Ninja and Samurai?  Afterall, what kid doesn't want to be a ninja/samurai at some time in his or her life?  I was no exception to that, (see picture to left), but I didn't know it was something that was taught for real.  

I called, made an appointment to go in for an interview, (it's not that easy to get into this form of martial arts), and sat down with the Sensei.  After filling out a questionnaire that would give him a little more insight into who I was and why I wanted to be there, he took me onto the dojo mat and showed me some really cool ninja moves.  I was nervous, but when I understood that ninja's were quiet so there wouldn't be any forced yells, and that I would be wearing black (one of my favorite colors), I was hooked. 

Not only would I get a good workout, but I had the added bonus of knowing that I was going to learn self-defense skills, of both the body and mind.  Within six months, I realized that this was something that I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life.  

Now, at 52 years old, I have been teaching a Basic Bujutsu class, along with a Bo Staff Conditioning Class (bojutsu), and a Samurai Sword Conditioning Class(kenjutsu) for over 2 years.

How is it possible that after only so little time that I could be teaching... 
There are many, many techniques in fighting.   No matter how much you learn, you will inevitably end up with your own repetoire of fighting skills that match who you are as a person.   Understanding this, and realizing that no matter how advanced you get, and for what reason you may want Ninjutsu/Classical martial fighting skills, learning the BASICS and knowing them intimately is what will make you a better fighter/martial artist.   I loved the form, the preciseness, and I knew I could teach this.  I believed that I could do it, and with BELIEF (as you will learn in my classes), you can do ANYTHING.

While I do love the fact that my mental ability for Paying Attention, Being Aware, Watching My Surroundings, and utilizing Mind Over Matter, have increased dramatically, (hopefully allowing me to be in the best fight possible, which is NO fight), I wanted more...  

With this thought under my belt, I still so immensely enjoyed this form of martial arts, that I wanted to be able to practice it outide the dojo and the regular classes.  While some of my counterparts have gone on to become Guardian Angels, (protecting the general public), I did not want to patrol the streets, so I turned to the conditioning aspects of the martial arts.  I want to really bring back the "art" of the martial arts.  I want more people to understand how martial arts can open up the Power of Your Mind and the strength of your body.  Especially when it comes to the way of the Ninja, as they were masters of Mind Control, endurance and perseverance.   I wanted people to know how this form of martial arts could really, truly help someone in business and in life. 

I guess that I should let you know here, that I am a Certified Master Hypnotist, and, I am certified in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).  I'm also a very avid reader on all things neuro-science related.  I went to school to become a Philosopher, and now I'm on my way to becoming an EXPERT in STRESS CONTROL, and on how WORDS affect Human Behavior.   I have also just recently entered into the world of Hoplology - the study of human combat behavior.

So, now, I have come full circle... in that I am practicing an athletic endeavor that has taken me further than I could have imagined, and I am combining it into business.  I truly have the best of both worlds.

Because there is NO COMPETITION in Bujutsu, the only person you compete against is yourself.  

Sincerely,

Janou Lightning
Renewing, Body, Mind and Spirit the Ninja and Samurai Way!