Lisa Nolen holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt. In our art, this carries the title of “Bantoe” (pronounced bahn-too, and which means helper or substitute.) Bantoe Lisa started training with her middle school aged daughter as way for the both of them to try something new together. Now many years later one daughter has passed the Bar and her other daughter is in college! And here she is, still training Poekoelan! She loves it! When not on the floor you can find her enjoying Portland with her husband, car camping or taking her dog for walk.

Lisa teaches advanced students on Tuesday nights and is an inspirational instructor on Saturday mornings in the all school workout.

I first “shook hands” with Poekoelan way back in college at Lewis & Clark. Fond memories plus a new years resolution brought me back. I rediscovered training in February of 2009 and have been at it ever since. In November 2015 I earned my black belt.

Besides training, I work at OMSI and read a lot of books. I blow glass and sail boats. I fight evil penguins in the name of liberty and justice. At least one of these statements is false.

I love the amazing community of people I get to hang out with. We practice a “broken mirror” style of martial arts. That means that no two practitioners ever look exactly alike. If you are interested in training a martial art, Poekoelan will meet you wherever you are at and help you to build bridges going forward.

Eric can be seen on the mat a LOT during the school year. He teaches in most of our children’s classes. During the summers, he’s busy running camps for OMSI.

I started training martial arts as a child and stopped when I was about 12 years old. As an adult, I experienced a back injury from work. Since my son had been training Poekoelan for a few years, I decided it would be nice to do something together and help strengthen my back/body. So in 2016 I decided to start training Poekoelan.

One of the many things I like about the art of Poekoelan, is that it teaches us to strive to find our inner strength—strength that we didn’t know we had until we are pushed past our limits, then overcome them, expanding our limits.

When I train, I often find myself confronted with challenges—physically, mentally and emotionally. Our teammates and teachers are so supportive in every step and help us to access and cultivate our inner strength.

As an instructor, I find inspiration seeing students pushing past challenges.  It’s so rewarding when I observe them accomplish a feat, such as flipping a person over their back or finally getting that form or hold.  Empowerment through achievement is an amazing thing to witness.  I enjoy sharing things I know with others. Teaching is a great honor, I am grateful for the opportunity.

We practice a broken mirror style, which means that every person who trains Poekoelan has his or her own individual flavor. I love seeing how everyone adds their own beauty to the art.  It’s a wonderful joy to train and teach our art.

When not on the mat, I work as an electrician.  I enjoy spending time with my family, hanging out with friends, playing and singing kirtan (devotional music).  I nourish my spiritual life through the devotional practice of bhakti yoga.

When not on the mat, Brad works as an electrician.  He enjoys spending time with his family, hanging out with friends and playing and singing kirtan (devotional music).  He nourishes his spiritual life through the devotional practice of bhakti yoga.

I have been training since 2008! My dad saw a newspaper article about how a kid defended himself using self-defense so my sister and I took a class and absolutely loved it.

I enjoy working out and being active in general and spend most of my time playing tennis or doing something outside. When I have time, I love playing the ukulele.

My favorite thing about teaching is connecting and having fun with my teammates. I love seeing how they progress, advance, and grow as individuals. Poekoelan has motivated me to stay active and healthy and is something that has changed and impacted me for the better. I definitely wouldn’t be the person I am now without it.

Radhika teaches on Mondays in the Tigers classes. She’s calm and patient and loves to connect with the kids.

I started training in 2005.  I was looking for an active class to take with my children (then 7 and 9 years old) and found a class at the Garden Home Rec Center.  My son and I have been training ever since. 

One of my favorite things about teaching is watching the growth in confidence and abilities in students of all ages.  The other is finding ways to adapt some of the things we do for people with injuries or physical limitations.

When I’m not teaching or working, I love baking, walking in nature, sewing and crochet, which are very therapeutic for me. I also enjoy reading, watching TV/Netflix and hanging out with my family (including Bear, the dog).

 My favorite ice breaker game is called “Two Truths and a Lie.”  See if you can figure out which one is a lie:

1.  I played French Horn from 4th grade through college and beyond.

2.  I was my grade school stilt walker champion in 3rd grade.

3.  I feel like I’ve slept my day away if I sleep past 7:30.

Be sure to tell me if you want to guess!

Twila can be seen teaching in a variety of Tigers classes and the Teen/Adult Beginning class. 

Read about Mas Twila’s black belt test and see her board breaking sequence here.

I’ve been training since 2009, and started when I was 10. My friend and teammate, Hersh, introduced me to Poekoelan a few weeks after he started training and I’ve been training ever since. I love working with kids and teaching ways they can empower themselves through self-defense. Teaching has given me leadership qualities that have helped me in all aspects of my life.

When I’m not training, I go running, read, spend time with friends, drive to cool places and work.

Being a part of the Naga community has influenced and changed my life for the better in so many different ways and I’m so grateful for everything my teachers have taught me.

Brenden is becoming a Viking at Western Washington University, his planned major is Bio Science.

I started training with my mom and sister when I was seven.

When I first started training, we were looking for something to do as a family to fill up our summer, so we went to a few classes at the Garden Home Rec Center and haven’t stopped. My favorite thing about teaching is seeing students’ progress on an individual level. I love it when you can see that something clicks in a student’s mind.

When I’m not training or teaching, I occupy my time with anything creative and enjoy movies, books, TV, art, etc.

Alden is currently a Junior at Western Oregon University.

Sarah is pictured above at her summer internship at the Reed College Nuclear Lab!

I started training when I was 11. My mom, my sister, and I all started training at the same time so that we could learn some self-defense. Once I started coming to Naga, I realized how awesome it is and I’ve been here ever since!

My favorite thing about teaching is seeing how much more confident people become after they realize how powerful they are!

If you’re a potential student: I can’t wait to meet you! If you’re already a student: say hi at the next class, it’s a lot more fun than reading my bio 🙂

When I’m not at Naga, I spend most of my time doing school-related activities. I’m currently a senior, and my favorite subject is physics (but I like everything else too). Outside of school, I enjoy cooking and eating food, doing art, spending time with my family and friends, and anything outdoors.

Sarah is studying at Swarthmore University in Philadelphia, PA. She can also be seen on the mat teaching classes during the summer though!

Read her essay about her journey to black belt. It’s the essay she submitted on her college application!