Connection Martial Arts owner Nicole Sawin demonstrating a punch to her class

By Tommy Osborne

Martial Arts

Therapist and kickboxer creates inclusive space for martial arts

Mar 14, 2024 | 4:40 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Mixed martial arts has been growing in popularity as a hobby, but the intensity of some gyms may be a roadblock for some looking to get involved. However, mental health therapist and kick boxer Nicole Sawin took it upon herself to create a safe and inclusive space for anyone wanting to learn the sport. Her gym, Connection Martial Arts, is all about creating a positive atmosphere to engage in combat in a stress free way.

“The first day I went to a class was a sparring day and I just absolutely fell in love with it. So a big part (of starting Connection Martial Arts) was just my love of martial arts and my connection to my body that I was able to get through that, combined with a lot of barriers that I experienced and witnessed people experiencing in a lot of the mainstream gyms. So I wanted to kind of bring that together to make an inclusive, accountable, accessible space for folks,” Sawin said.

Being both a fighter and mental health professional, Sawin knows and understands the connection between mental health and the body. She explained trauma is stored in the body, but not many people understand this or how to handle trauma. Connection Martial Arts encourages and supports students who may be working through trauma, as Sawin can help them work through these challenges.

“From a trauma perspective, martial arts can be very overwhelming for your nervous system. Often, martial arts coaches don’t necessarily have the background training or knowledge about how trauma affects the nervous system. So a lot of things then can happen where people can be retraumatized because you’re not understanding that the response that you’re seeing in the space is coming from trauma and not coming from like defiance or shutdown or anything like that,” Sawin explained.

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“From the trauma lens, from the neurodiversity lens as well, some people’s brains just work differently sensory wise. So a lot of barriers can happen in spaces that don’t necessarily take sensory sensitivities into account, or it’s not acceptable to talk about because people just don’t know,” she continued.

Because Sawin’s key focus is creating an inclusive and safe space for everyone, she explained she meets with all of her students before they sign up so she can have conversations about what the students can expect, what Sawin should know before hand, and how the classes can be tailored to the student’s need. She says building relationships is one of the foundations on which Connection Martial Arts is built.

“Rather than the kind of traditional martial art drill sergeant kind of approach, it’s very self-paced, breaks are encouraged, listening to your body is encouraged,” she said.

Her approach resonates with her students, who chose Connection Martial Arts because of the way Sawin conducts her classes, alongside the friendly atmosphere she created.

“In other martial arts places that I’ve experienced and my daughter experienced, sometimes you feel obligated to push yourself even beyond what you feel your limits are. And here, we don’t get that, it’s very much respect your body, respect your limitations, while still being able to push yourself and grow,” said Chantal Bracey, one of several Connection Martial Arts students.

“It’s a very inclusive environment. I feel safe here, I feel comfortable. I can be myself and not have to worry about what other people are thinking of me,” Bracey continued.

If you would like to learn more, or join the gym, you can visit Connection Martial Arts website here. Sawin added you can reach her through Connection Martial Arts social media pages as well, which you can also find on the website.

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