Martial arts expert Chris Barron has taught a number of free classes on-campus as part of National Mental Health Awareness Week.
Chris, School Administration Manager in Engineering & Digital Arts, taught lunchtime sessions of “Tanren” as part of the national awareness week from 12-16 May.
Tanren is a traditional sequence of moves to promote positive physical and mental health, with a focus on breathing and manipulation of pressure inside the abdomen to awaken the body’s true potential.
Tanren is a supplementary exercise to the Japanese sword art of batto-do, which Chris recently travelled to Oslo to teach. He was accompanied by Carl Swaffer from Information Services, who has trained with Chris in this art for over 12 years.
Chris explains: ‘The art of cutting with the Japanese sword represents cutting through our own weaknesses and insecurities. This concept of “Katsujinken” is central to batto-do – the sword gives life rather than taking it.’
Chris has taught batto-do throughout the UK and Europe and is the head of the batto-do division of the Jindokai, a martial arts association with members all over the world. He has taught batto-do at the University’s Sports Centre since 2002, and plans to start regular tanren classes in September 2015.
For more information about batto-do or tanren classes please email Chris: c.p.barron@kent.ac.uk