Hello Tonya,

I just had a few words I wanted to say about Stav. I enjoyed the training seminar taught by Ivar, Graham and Shaun.
You of all people know how skeptical I have been about Stav. I did not enter this training with a complete open mind like I should have. Even after doing the Fylgja exercise with you, I was still denying Stav, and my dog that showed up.

The Stav training seminar in Texas has changed my life permenently. While the weather didn't help us out any with training in the martial side, going indoors and learning the healing side has helped me emmensly. I have not been able to straighten my fingers out in over 15 years, due to my occupation in construction. The stretching exercises taught to me, have now straightened out my fingers and hands. They are getting better every single day. I have more flexibility than I have ever had.

Learning the lines of the web have made me see everything in a different way. I can't believe I was ever able to do my job in construction without seeing them before. I honestly feel enlightened and I'll never look at anything in the same way again. Please tell Ivar, Shaun and Graham thanks for coming to Texas and taking the time to train me. For the people that didn't take the time to show up and train due to weather conditions. I only have one thing to say to you. YOU ALL MISSSED   OUT ON SOMETHING WONDERFUL!!!! I will definitely attend any training seminars put on by these Masters. I will also do my stances with much more enthusiasm. I think Stav is going to be very beneficial and enhance my Karate studies.

Thanks again,

Kenny
 

My Stav Training by Jerrica Davis

Greetings all,

I just thought I would share a few of my thoughts about the Stav seminar here in Texas.

First off,  I had a blast and will definitely attend the next one.

With that bit of enthusiasm out of the way, on to more comments.  The weather was rainy the entire weekend, which ruled out camping out.  But since I don't live that far from the campsite, I was planning on going home every night anyway.

We spent most of Friday night getting acquainted with each other and discussing the runes and the gods.  Ivar, Shaun and Graham demonstrated some self-defense techniques and showed how they were merely the stances put into practice.  Ivar also worked through the fylgia exercise with me to determine my class or level. (Jarl, for the curious.) The entire evening was very informal and relaxed.  I learned some good stuff but more importantly, the time spent with Ivar, Graham and Shaun made me more comfortable around them. So I wasn't as hesitant to ask questions or to probe for more understanding. I also realized that the trio were there to teach me as much as they could in the short time we had together, not to stroke their own egos.

On Saturday, we worked on the stances.  I had been doing some things incorrectly and I was shown the correct way.  We did them outdoors if we could but mostly inside.  We also went through the galdr stances as well. In the afternoon, we started working with the weapons in the driveway.  The yard was way too soggy.  We concentrated on the 5 cuts with the weapon of our choice, with the instructor of our choice.  They were harder than I had thought for me to get down pat.  Not because they were difficult in and of themselves, but because they required some shifts in thinking that I was slow to make.

On Sunday, we practiced the cuts some more and also worked on on the 5 principle defenses.  This was when a lot that we had been discussing about the web in fighting started to come together for me.  That evening, Shaun talked us through the runes and their meanings.  Then he led us through the relationships between all the runes, and more discussion about the web in everyday life.  This was a huge amount of information to assimilate.

One of the things that I really liked, was that nothing was really dogma. For example, when asked about a different breathing method, Shaun's reply was basically to give our method a try for a while and see how they compare. Not, our way is the only way.  That was truly refreshing.

In summary, I learned a lot about Stav, had fun,  and developed a good deal of respect for Ivar, Shaun and Graham.  I will be at the next Stav seminar in Texas.

Regards,
Preston