BALANCE
Martial arts and yoga were both developed out of our instinctual gravitation toward homeostasis, or balance. They were created through keen observation of Nature. Some martial arts were born out of the need to protect the body and household from physical threat. Some yoga styles were developed by meditating monks that concluded that an aching body was a distraction and obstacle in exploring deeper levels of consciousness.
Martial arts techniques have been created to harness the mind, and create limberness in the body with the sole intention to remove the obstacles that can otherwise impede a harmonious, spirit centered life. In exploring yoga, discovering "warrior" styles and movements takes very little investigation, however soft it's reputation has sometimes been. This is all to say that virtually every style has it's place and usefulness. The wisdom comes not from practicing something repeatedly that you are already proficient in, but in discovering your own limitations, and having the courage to acknowledge and work to improve them.
purpose
Black Dragon Yoga represents the process of uniting seemingly counter systems to balance out the inherent limitations of the other. It is a mindset of embracing something as perceived different and making it your own, a part of you. It is a challenge to the Self to always accept, and honor, the "white belt" within, and the humility and humbleness that coincides with being un-initiated.
Let us have the courage to engage in the new and unfamiliar, the will to persevere through its challenges, and the wisdom to know that the "black belt" you gain from the process is not the end, rather the beginning.
FOUNDATION
Black Dragon Yoga is the ultimate fusion of martial arts and yoga. Moreover, it is a style of "inclusion". It has been designed to embrace the values of both traditions, and present them as one. As Bruce Lee said,
"Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own."
Martial artists and yogis alike eventually will discover certain plateaus and limitations that inhibit their progress. New styles are born that have evolved from the traditional, not because they no longer work, or by any means, the style has been mastered, new ways must be incorporated to keep the process moving forward.
If you practiced a "hard" (aggressive, combat oriented) style of martial arts exclusively, there will come a day when a "soft" (flowing, internally oriented) approach will be the only way to truly improve. The same is true in yoga. Focusing only on the soft, or restorative, applications of yoga will eventually yield limited results in terms of overall structure.
We are adaptive organisms, in all ways, and if the stimulus for adaptation becomes void of variety, there is no need to adapt, or evolve. This is precisely why there is no definitive style of yoga, or one of martial arts. They are all as equally effective as they are limited. variety and utilizing other styles becomes the key.