INTRODUCTION TO BOXING + ZEN
with 7x world champion Michele Aboro
6-9PM, Friday, July 26
@ Gopa Boxing Club
3651 Foothill Blvd
Oakland, CA 94601
SPACE IS LIMITED
Facing challenges and stress in life, school, or work? Come join an introductory workshop to boxing and Zen meditation to discover and deepen your inner and outer strength, and increase your ability to face life’s many challenges.
7-time world champion boxer Michele Aboro, of Aboro Academy in Shanghai China, and teachers from Chozen-ji, a Zen temple and martial arts dojo in Hawaiʻi, will introduce an approach to boxing beyond just technical skills, but as a Way to address deep habits and push participants to realize our clearest and most powerful selves.
Email oakzendojo@gmail.com with any questions.
All levels of meditation and boxing experience are welcome. Please bring a large towel and water. We will have some extra on site. No other equipment is required, but you’re welcome to bring your own boxing gear (shoes, wraps, gloves) if you already have them.
To make the training accessible, we are offering the training by donation and on a sliding scale:
$0 - $15: Youth (6-17 years old)
$15 - $30: Participant (18+ years old)
$25 - $50: Supporter Participant (18+ years old - Secure your spot and contribute to offsetting overall costs so others with less means can attend)
How to Attend Introduction to Boxing + Zen
Adults (18+): Complete steps 1 and 2 below to participate in Intro to Boxing + Zen.
Youth (6-17): All youth under 18 will need a parent or guardian to complete step 2 (the waiver).
For youth who are able to donate, complete steps 1 and 2 below.
For youth who are unable to make a donation, proceed to step 2 and have a parent/guardian sign the waiver below.
STEP 1) Donate
ABOUT MICHELE ABORO & ABORO ACADEMY
A living legend in the history of Boxing and Kickboxing, Super Bantamweight Michele Aboro retired as undefeated world champion in Boxing with 21 wins (12 KO) and Kickboxing with 32 winning fights (23 KO). Michele was also voted Pound-for-Pound Best Female Boxer of the Year for four consecutive years. She is a two-time undefeated World Boxing Champion, five-time Kickboxing World Champion and two-time K1 Champion; having pioneered boxing and kickboxing in England when it was illegal for women to be trained in boxing by coaches and compete. In 2020, Aboro was inducted into the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame. After retiring undefeated, Michele founded Aboro Academy in Shanghai with her partner, Masca Yuen. For several years, it was likely the only boxing gym in the world offering boxing classes preceded by 45 minutes of zazen (seated Zen meditation).
ABOUT MASCA YUEN, CO-FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF ABORO ACADEMY
Prior to settling in Shanghai, Dutch-Cantonese Fine Art photographer Masca Yuen traveled around China to document ancient and modern traditions for newspapers and magazines. These photos have been exhibited in different galleries in the Netherlands and Shanghai. In 2014, she co-founded the Aboro Academy with Michele, where they now incorporate boxing, fitness, meditation, and breath work to educate and train individuals in the interconnected nature of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit, promoting holistic well-being.
ABOUT CHOZEN-JI & CHOZEN-JI TRAINING IN OAKLAND
Since its establishment in 1972, leaders from Hawaiʻi and around the world have come to Chozen-ji to pursue the deepest spiritual self-discipline. Our approach to Zen training is extremely physical and rigorous. In addition to training in zazen (seated meditation), students also train in martial arts such as kendo and boxing, and in fine arts such as calligraphy, tea and ceramics. Chozen-ji training has been anchored in Oakland, California by several dedicated priests and students, including Christine Cordero and Raúl Betancourt.
Christine is Co-Director of Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), organizing with immigrants and refugees for a healthy environment and thriving economy. For over 20 years, Christine strategized, organized, and built coalitions across environmental health and justice, workers rights, and economic and racial justice issues. Christine has been a meditation practitioner for 12+ years, and is a former Leadership Sangha member of the East Bay Meditation Center. Christine is also an ordained priest of the Chozen-ji line of Rinzai Zen, and trains in Hojo, okyo (chanting), and shakuhachi (Buddhist flute). Boxing is one of the martial forms she trains regularly at Gopa Boxing Club in the Fruitvale area of Oakland, CA, and intensively at Chozen-ji with Aboro Academy.
Raúl works with teens and educators to integrate practical Zen methods into the classroom and their daily lives. He was a former science teacher who regularly incorporated meditation and social emotional learning into his classroom in order to build community and resilience. He has taught mindfulness in educational settings through Mindful Schools, Niroga, Mindful Life Project as well as facilitated the teen group at the East Bay Meditation Center and has been a mentor for retreats with Inward Bound Mindfulness. He started his meditation practice as a teen at the International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles and is currently a zen student at Chozen-ji. He trains in Aikido at Aikido of San Leandro and Boxing at Gopa Boxing Club in Fruitvale and has studied martial arts for over 30 years in the US as well as Japan. He is currently studying for an MS in Counseling at SF State and will be the mindfulness director for ARISE high school in Fruitvale in the Fall.