“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ― Maya Angelou
In the 1970's Healing Ultimate Fighters Founder Tuaca Kelly made these significant discoveries: a passion for martial arts, an appreciation for Star Wars and an intimate relationship with her Divine Guides that would teach and empower her with wisdom to heal herself and others. (Not in that order, however.)
Hungry to learn, she took what ever she could get a hold of insofar as impromptu lessons from martial artists, books and film. Tuaca's empathy, cosmic connections and auto-didactic approach took into account the dynamics of nature, the movement of animals, breath and the inclination to improvise. She saw martial arts not only as a way to develop, but to learn how to be in relationship.
It wasn't until age 14 when Tuaca began training in a formal school where Okinawan Shorin Ryu, a traditional hard/external form of martial arts, was practiced. Tuaca had an uncanny way of grasping concepts. This coupled with a fierce work ethic found her teaching new students soon after she enrolled. These circumstances only accelerated her growth and understanding for the form.
During kumite (Japanese for freestyle fighting or sparring) Tuaca would employ her "animal" movements and playfulness where it was completely unexpected by her piers then capitalize on that 'space' where her opponents were open. Point! (This isn't to suggest she never got the wind knocked out of her – and a fighter will understand this literally breathtaking experience like no other!)
Despite her bionic fervor for learning and practicing, Tuaca soon met with a few obstacles in the school and in the training. While Tuaca had incredible kicking skills promising effectiveness, strength, precision, control and "invisibility" that used to dominate a bout with more skilled and experienced fighters (by keeping them on the outside), there wasn't much of a contest or movement vocabulary fighting on the inside.
Instinctively Tuaca moved back or kicked while jumping back to find her fight zone and punch, slap and hammer with her feet. Tuaca quickly identified her weakness, wanted to expand her skills and sought counsel from her teachers. Each sensei in the school told her to continue what she was doing. To get back "outside" and kick. Tuaca recognized the threshold and realized it was time to leave. (Visualize "Grasshopper" snatching the people from Master Po's hand here, save for the Shaolin Dragon and Tiger urn branding.)
An invitation from the Sifu of the school, Tuaca enrolled in Kenpo Karate. This form lends itself to versatility, and is more conducive to the natural improvisation Tuaca was cultivating. With a focus on offensive and defensive hand techniques, circular movements adopted from Chinese Kung Fu, and close-combat strategies, Tuaca’s vocabulary expanded quickly. She challenged herself to fight on the inside during sparring sessions, unless of course...a natural instinct for prevailing had her kick. Most certainly that happened. This begot the interest of the black belt instructors in the school as it wasn't in their Kenpo Karate reference: "Where the **** did that come from?" Regardless of where she went, her kicks were remarked upon.
As with the first school, a threshold was soon reached. (This by no means is to suggest Tuaca earned her black belt.) She took the pebble and continued on her way. A little here, a little there, all the while cultivating something that couldn't then be named.
At 23 Tuaca moved to Esalen Institute to further in study in human potential and develop as a person. She studied numerous therapeutic, bodywork and psychology methods and memes. Here she also experienced her first Aikido high fall on the first day of class. Nothing like a swift trip around a fulcrum to wake a person up in the morning!
At 27, while at Esalen, yet not in an aikido class, Tuaca experienced a failed aikido roll that resulted in an impact injury on her shoulder and head. One unceremonious thud and suddenly, something wasn't right; she couldn't shake it off! Progressively she became more tired and lack-luster; more susceptible to colds and her posture crumbled with the deterioration that she felt happening in her body.
Soon thereafter her world turned upside down. She woke up one morning in good spirits, pedaled her legs on the side of the bed, placed her feet on the ground, stood up and realized she couldn't feel the left side of her body. She collapsed to the ground in a confusing heap. She was paralyzed on her left side; she couldn't comprehend any written text, (a discovery made by staring at her bookcase from the floor where she lay: the spines of each book were familiar but every word was unrecognizable. She couldn't speak normally or feel much beyond total numbness on one side of her body or immense searing pain on the other. Tuaca lay there for hours alone trying to reconcile what was happening.
Through emotional tears, she began to pray. "I want to feel and I want to share my feelings." Sobbing: "I want to feel and I want to share my feelings." Her reason, intuition, will and plea set an inextinguishable fire in motion.
Her Divine Guides communicated to Tuaca how to recover, to rise again, and identified the root cause. They also streamed memories from Tuaca's childhood showing her things she intuitively understood then about the brain and nervous system, as well as a scene from a book she read when she was 19: A Leg to Stand On, by Oliver Sacks. Neurologist. "If I could feel before, my body knows how to do it. I can do it again." Tuaca thought. And so the healing and recovery process began.
Shortly thereafter Tuaca was transported to one of the top medical hospitals in the US and saw not one but two praised neurologist. When every test (e.g., blood, urine, MRI, EKG, et cetera), came back 'normal,' though there was clearly something wrong, the experts in their field quickly reached their depth, were unable to provide any information on what she was experiencing, and they parted ways.
Tuaca continued to follow what her guides said, felt nurtured from her grandmother on the 'other side' and drew from her Kelly & Taggart genes. (Read: Kelly means Warrior in ancient Gaelic. The Kelly motto: Turris Fortis Mihi Deus means God is a tower of strength in me. Taggart, in ancient Gaelic means Son of the Priest. The Taggart motto: Ratione Non Vi, means Reason not force.)
From a human standpoint, the road to recovery was isolating, the process was painful and financially stressful; the lessons about humanity, the power of forgiveness, the timeless conversations and insights to recover and help others since, are priceless.
It is with this Spirit of Service that Healing Ultimate Fighters is here: to help you find a way to stand up on your own again!
Thank you.
Ready to work? Please introduce yourself here.
Hungry to learn, she took what ever she could get a hold of insofar as impromptu lessons from martial artists, books and film. Tuaca's empathy, cosmic connections and auto-didactic approach took into account the dynamics of nature, the movement of animals, breath and the inclination to improvise. She saw martial arts not only as a way to develop, but to learn how to be in relationship.
It wasn't until age 14 when Tuaca began training in a formal school where Okinawan Shorin Ryu, a traditional hard/external form of martial arts, was practiced. Tuaca had an uncanny way of grasping concepts. This coupled with a fierce work ethic found her teaching new students soon after she enrolled. These circumstances only accelerated her growth and understanding for the form.
During kumite (Japanese for freestyle fighting or sparring) Tuaca would employ her "animal" movements and playfulness where it was completely unexpected by her piers then capitalize on that 'space' where her opponents were open. Point! (This isn't to suggest she never got the wind knocked out of her – and a fighter will understand this literally breathtaking experience like no other!)
Despite her bionic fervor for learning and practicing, Tuaca soon met with a few obstacles in the school and in the training. While Tuaca had incredible kicking skills promising effectiveness, strength, precision, control and "invisibility" that used to dominate a bout with more skilled and experienced fighters (by keeping them on the outside), there wasn't much of a contest or movement vocabulary fighting on the inside.
Instinctively Tuaca moved back or kicked while jumping back to find her fight zone and punch, slap and hammer with her feet. Tuaca quickly identified her weakness, wanted to expand her skills and sought counsel from her teachers. Each sensei in the school told her to continue what she was doing. To get back "outside" and kick. Tuaca recognized the threshold and realized it was time to leave. (Visualize "Grasshopper" snatching the people from Master Po's hand here, save for the Shaolin Dragon and Tiger urn branding.)
An invitation from the Sifu of the school, Tuaca enrolled in Kenpo Karate. This form lends itself to versatility, and is more conducive to the natural improvisation Tuaca was cultivating. With a focus on offensive and defensive hand techniques, circular movements adopted from Chinese Kung Fu, and close-combat strategies, Tuaca’s vocabulary expanded quickly. She challenged herself to fight on the inside during sparring sessions, unless of course...a natural instinct for prevailing had her kick. Most certainly that happened. This begot the interest of the black belt instructors in the school as it wasn't in their Kenpo Karate reference: "Where the **** did that come from?" Regardless of where she went, her kicks were remarked upon.
As with the first school, a threshold was soon reached. (This by no means is to suggest Tuaca earned her black belt.) She took the pebble and continued on her way. A little here, a little there, all the while cultivating something that couldn't then be named.
At 23 Tuaca moved to Esalen Institute to further in study in human potential and develop as a person. She studied numerous therapeutic, bodywork and psychology methods and memes. Here she also experienced her first Aikido high fall on the first day of class. Nothing like a swift trip around a fulcrum to wake a person up in the morning!
At 27, while at Esalen, yet not in an aikido class, Tuaca experienced a failed aikido roll that resulted in an impact injury on her shoulder and head. One unceremonious thud and suddenly, something wasn't right; she couldn't shake it off! Progressively she became more tired and lack-luster; more susceptible to colds and her posture crumbled with the deterioration that she felt happening in her body.
Soon thereafter her world turned upside down. She woke up one morning in good spirits, pedaled her legs on the side of the bed, placed her feet on the ground, stood up and realized she couldn't feel the left side of her body. She collapsed to the ground in a confusing heap. She was paralyzed on her left side; she couldn't comprehend any written text, (a discovery made by staring at her bookcase from the floor where she lay: the spines of each book were familiar but every word was unrecognizable. She couldn't speak normally or feel much beyond total numbness on one side of her body or immense searing pain on the other. Tuaca lay there for hours alone trying to reconcile what was happening.
Through emotional tears, she began to pray. "I want to feel and I want to share my feelings." Sobbing: "I want to feel and I want to share my feelings." Her reason, intuition, will and plea set an inextinguishable fire in motion.
Her Divine Guides communicated to Tuaca how to recover, to rise again, and identified the root cause. They also streamed memories from Tuaca's childhood showing her things she intuitively understood then about the brain and nervous system, as well as a scene from a book she read when she was 19: A Leg to Stand On, by Oliver Sacks. Neurologist. "If I could feel before, my body knows how to do it. I can do it again." Tuaca thought. And so the healing and recovery process began.
Shortly thereafter Tuaca was transported to one of the top medical hospitals in the US and saw not one but two praised neurologist. When every test (e.g., blood, urine, MRI, EKG, et cetera), came back 'normal,' though there was clearly something wrong, the experts in their field quickly reached their depth, were unable to provide any information on what she was experiencing, and they parted ways.
Tuaca continued to follow what her guides said, felt nurtured from her grandmother on the 'other side' and drew from her Kelly & Taggart genes. (Read: Kelly means Warrior in ancient Gaelic. The Kelly motto: Turris Fortis Mihi Deus means God is a tower of strength in me. Taggart, in ancient Gaelic means Son of the Priest. The Taggart motto: Ratione Non Vi, means Reason not force.)
From a human standpoint, the road to recovery was isolating, the process was painful and financially stressful; the lessons about humanity, the power of forgiveness, the timeless conversations and insights to recover and help others since, are priceless.
It is with this Spirit of Service that Healing Ultimate Fighters is here: to help you find a way to stand up on your own again!
Thank you.
Ready to work? Please introduce yourself here.
