Taxi Driver Programme
Dear Fellow Drivers,
I am 49 years old. I’ve been a taxi driver for the past 10 years.
In my experience over the years I’ve met a lot of stressed and worried taxi drivers. There have been several suicides in recent years and the number of drivers who are assaulted or robbed is on the rise. Added to that is the level of frustration and tension, and often anger created by the competition between drivers to secure fares on the streets of Dublin.
I personally never get tense or stressed or frustrated driving around in my taxi, regardless of what other drivers are doing or whether it’s quiet or busy! This is a direct result of the training I have done over the years.
I had an attempted robbery in my taxi 2 years ago. A guy in the front seat with a red flick knife wanted to take my wallet. Well that didn’t work out to well for him! In short, I disabled him, relieved him of the knife, got him out of the car and got paid!
That incident occurred on a Tuesday at 9:30pm. I stayed out working until 12:30 that night. I remained calm and undisturbed, not only during the incident, but also in the hours afterward. Again, this is due to my training. Because I understand the mind and how to remain in a calm state both psychologically and physically I was able to deal effectively with what was occurring without making a big problem out of it.
I am, of course, not recommending that any driver should engage with a guy with a knife!
We don’t want any Rob De Niro style vigilantes out there! (“You talkin’ to me?”) But, an unarmed aggressor, can be dealt with relatively easily with some training.
At Conscious Martial Arts we have the ability to train all drivers to be psychologically calm all the time and to be able to defend themselves physically. All of our self defense training is taught very, very slowly and very, very gently.
We run classes on both the Northside and Southside of Dublin. Check below for details and prices for classes. We provide both daytime and evening classes.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Somers
Taxi Driver,
Ontology Instructor,
Tai Chi Instructor,
Martial Arts Instructor.
Our Courses
All courses cost €15 per 90 minute class. For info contact Ben @ (087) 638 6815, info@consciousmartialarts.ie or click here.
Self Defence
Our training is based on correct body alignment and movement as opposed to reliance on muscle strength.
It is based on accurate timing as opposed to reliance on speed.
We also teach our students to be aware of and use space and distance.
This is all achieved through relaxation instead of tension.
Our training can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of fitness level, gender or age.
We use the elements of Ninjutsu, Chen Hsin and Judo.
Through fun games we rewire the nervous system to automatically respond accurately to any threatening situation.
Energy Flow Course
A gentle way to relieve tension in the body.
- Body awareness
- Body freedom and revitalisation
- Joint and muscle loosening
- Power breathing
- Circulation enhancement
Back pain! Leg cramps! Shoulder and neck pain! Spinal problems!
After several hours driving a cab, drivers commonly experience some, or all of the above symptoms. If you are suffering any of these symptoms, then any ‘stretching’ you’re currently doing is simply not working. Any relief is short-lived.
We have developed this course from ‘warm up’ routines used in various martial arts we have studied.
We will teach you a whole body routine for releasing tension and increasing energy flow.
Once learned, you can employ any combination of these exercises.
They can be done in 2 minutes standing outside your cab and the effect will last for hours.
Even after a few days you will notice a profound improvement in how your body feels during and after your taxi shift.
Reality Check Ontology Course
It is not Life or people or events that cause us to suffer, it’s our reaction to them that causes our unhappiness and it’s our mental conditioning that causes our reactions ie. anger, stress. guilt, depression, worry, resentment etc. Luckily, we don’t need to fight or wrestle our conditioned reactions into submission, all we need is to understand them.
If we fully understood our reactions in stressful situations they would lose their power over us. We would become un-upsettable.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live fully, effectively and powerfully, where nothing and no-one had the power to upset you?
Your judgement and decision making would vastly improve.
You would be more just and compassionate.
You would use logic and reason based on actual evidence instead of just emotional reactions.
In the Reality Check Ontology Course we’ll uncover many truths about ourselves and the world we create.
We’ll discover the nature of the mind and how it operates and evolved to the way it is.
We’ll discover how it becomes dysfunctional.
We’ll discover how to spot illusions as they arise in us and how to disentangle ourselves from them.
We’ll discover compassion by recognising that everyone else has their own illusions too.
We’ll discover our true nature by directly realising that the mind is just a tool we have, not something we are.
We’ll discover what a successful life really means. We tend to think that it is the acquisition of money or the approval of others, but is this really true?
We’ll discover how to be present and powerful, as opposed to being trapped by fear and the illusion of time.
We’ll discover the beauty of Life by understanding that it’s not something that we have, but it’s what we are.
Cheng Hsin Tai Chi Course
As part of the course, the student will learn profound body awareness, and how best to use posture and movement. This means that all physical tasks become easier and the likelihood of strain or injury in ANY physical task is greatly reduced. It can also reverse any current musculoskeletal problems.
A form of Chi Gung is also included in the course. These gentle slow stretching and deep breathing exercises promote well-being, relaxation and greater mobility/flexibility.
We will also show you more dynamic methods of keeping the body and joints free and mobile. These sets of movements are derived from various martial arts.
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels.