The WeaponUP Balance Series

By Sabina
Jan 22, 2025
Welcome to our blog series where we highlight some of the different movements you can expect out of the WeaponUP practice. Kicking things off, let’s explore the world of WeaponUP Balance. This series is all about blending the stillness and focus of hatha yoga with the dynamic precision of straight sword postures. Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or a budding sword martial arts enthusiast, the WeaponUP Balance offers a unique challenge that bridges these two complementary practices beautifully.

What Is The WeaponUP Balance Series?


The WeaponUP Balance series is more than just your average workout; it’s a specialized approach created to enhance both mental and physical stability. By incorporating a straight sword into traditional balance postures, you’ll find yourself engaged in a practice that demands deep concentration and exceptional control. It sounds simple, but believe me, it’s quite the challenge.

Incorporating the sword in these poses adds a new level of difficulty, helping you develop sharper focus and greater body awareness. Imagine holding your balance with the added weight of the sword—it really tests your core stability and mental focus!

Photos From Our WeaponUP Encyclopaedia: Sword Tree and Sword Warrior Three
Sword Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

In “Sword Tree Pose”, you’ll experience a unique blend of stability and grace. Holding the sword overhead or by your side, this pose challenges your balance and engages your core like never before. The added (slight) weight of the sword enhances the traditional Tree Pose, requiring deeper focus and a stronger connection to your center.
Sword Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)


Sword Warrior III elevates the classic Warrior III pose by incorporating the straight sword. Extending the sword forward as you balance on one leg, this pose demands exceptional control and concentration. It intensifies the workout for your core and legs while fostering a heightened sense of body awareness and precision.

Benefits Of The Balance Series:

  • Improved Focus and Concentration: Handling the sword requires your undivided attention, turning each session into a powerful mental exercise.

  • Enhanced Core Stability and Balance: Maintaining your posture while managing the sword really fires up those core muscles, more so than in traditional yoga practices.

  • Connection of Mind and Body: The deliberate and controlled movements foster a deep connection between your mind and body, enhancing the overall quality of your practice.

Try This Five Minute WeaponUP Balance Flow with Me


Join me for a quick flow where we go through key balance poses with the sword. It’s a fantastic way to get a taste of how the sword integrates into and enhances yoga poses.

Free Five Minute Sword Yoga Flow

We’ve aimed to create a practice that helps both newcomers and seasoned practitioners refine their skills and embrace new challenges. I invite you to step onto the mat and experience the transformative power of the WeaponUP Balance for yourself. Whether you’re looking to enhance your martial arts technique or deepen your yoga practice, this series promises to bring new levels of stability and serenity to your routine. 

Join us at WeaponUP and master the art of balance with the straight sword! Stay tuned for more from this blog series as we explore Flex, Sculpt, and Grace, each offering unique benefits and challenges to enhance your practice!

More Articles To Enjoy

How the Sword Rewires Your Brain and Becomes An Extension of Your Body

[One with the sword.] If you’ve been practicing WeaponUP’s sword yoga fusion, you may have noticed something strange—at some point, the sword stops feeling like an object in your hand and starts feeling like a part of you. That’s not just in your head. It’s in your nervous system. When you train consistently with a sword, it becomes more than a prop. It becomes an extension of your body. This idea is actually backed by neuroscience—and it explains why sword yoga, martial arts, and prop based movement can feel so intuitive and powerful over time. Here’s how it works. 1. The Brain Starts to Map the Sword Like a Body Part This is called tool embodiment. In movement science, researchers have found that when we use a tool—like a sword—repeatedly, our brain begins to treat it like part of our own body. The somatosensory system (the part of the brain that tracks your limbs in space) expands to include the tool. In other words, the sword becomes part of your “body map.” Your hand, arm, and the blade start to move as one. That’s why over time, your precision improves. You’re no longer just holding the sword—you’re moving with it. In a study on monkeys using tools, neurons in the parietal cortex (the brain’s spatial control center) began firing as if the tool was physically part of their limb. Later studies in humans using MRI confirmed the same effect with tennis rackets and mechanical tools. 2. You Build Better Coordination and Body Awareness Using a sword changes how you move—because it forces your body to work as a single, coordinated system. That’s called proprioception—your internal awareness of where your body is in space. Adding the weight, length, and movement of a sword challenges your nervous system to adapt. The result? Stronger balance. Sharper awareness. Better form. This is especially important in martial arts, yoga, and sword dance, where alignment is everything. The more precise your awareness, the more grounded and fluid you become. 3. Your Reaction Time and Control Improve Sword training isn’t just physical—it’s cognitive. Coordinating blade movement with breath, stance, and transitions builds fine motor control, timing, and reflexes. This kind of cognitive-motor integration boosts your ability to react under pressure. Over time, it helps you feel more in control—and reduces hesitation and anxiety. That’s a direct link between mind-body practice and mental health. In simple terms: when you train to move smoothly with a sword, you also train your brain to stay calm, focused, and confident. 4. Training with WeaponUP At WeaponUP, we don’t just train with swords because they look cool (though they absolutely do). We train with them because they change us. The sword becomes part of you—extending your awareness, improving your movement, and shaping your confidence. It’s not just a workout. It’s a neurological upgrade. One stance and flow at a time. So grab your Sword + Membership and I will see you on the mat!

Sabina

Living and Training like Shaolin Monk in the Mountains of China: Six Lessons that still serve me a decade later.

[The Great Wall of China]Over a decade ago, I made a choice that veered sharply from the expected path. At 20 years old my academic and personal struggles had culminated in a profound sense of failure, driving me to seek discipline and self-understanding far from what I was used to. This search for meaning led me to study as a Shaolin monk in a kung fu academy in the mountains of China, a decision that reshaped my understanding of life, discipline, and personal growth. It was there that I would grow the seeds for the six lessons that still remain with me, a decade later, a strong yoga practice and multiple external achievements. 1. The Power of Starting The initial steps of any journey are met with resistance, both external and internal. My arrival in China was fraught with challenges, from financial to physical disorientation. I was lost for 48 hours, afraid I signed up for a scam when I couldn’t find the school and was ready to hightail it back to Toronto that very first night. Yet, looking back, these obstacles underscored the first crucial lesson of perseverance at the onset of a new endeavor. Like a physical law, initiating movement requires overcoming inertia, teaching me the value of resilience from day one. Similarly in yoga practice the initial resistance we feel when trying a new pose is not just physical but also mental. Overcoming this inertia is our first victory. 2. There's No Single Way to Live Your Life Living among monks and other students, I realized the beauty of diversity in life's journeys. Our societal narratives often dictate a linear progression: education, career, family. However, witnessing all the diverse backgrounds and journeys of my fellow monks revealed the richness of embracing one's unique path. When you are unbound by conventional expectations, you begin to craft your own path, much like yoga practice allows you to listen to your body and follow that internal guidance. You also begin to see that what we have been told is not necessarily how it has to be. You can be unique and innovative in your approach to life, but often we are not because we have never been exposed to other walks of life that we find inspirational. I was lucky enough to enter a society outside the general narrative and find beauty in this school that taught me my path didn’t have to be linear. [Sabina training the Wudang sword with Master Wu.] 3. Perfect Practice makes Perfect True mastery comes from perfect practice, not just repetition. Everyday discipline and consistency in training showed me the distinction between mere practice and perfect practice. Committing fully to each moment rather than half-hearted participation, fostered not only skill but a profound inner transformation. This lesson in dedication and focus transcends physical training and applies universally to both professional and personal pursuits. It is the commitment and the discipline that you bring to a practice that transforms us. It's about giving our all, in every moment, to truly evolve. 4. Confidence Through Discipline The daily eight hour training schedule straightened more than just my posture; it strengthened my confidence. Putting myself through challenging situations and overcoming them every single day gave me a confidence nothing had given me to that point. It allowed me to stand tall, walk with pride and take up space without hesitation. Seeing these changes in myself and other students also highlighted the lesson that confidence does not come from empty words and affirmations, but from doing difficult things and overcoming them. Similarly with a dedicated yoga practice, self-confidence is a very positive side effect of asana. [Sabina during a power stretching training!] 5. Embrace Life with Lightness Perhaps the most surprising lesson came from observing the joy and lightness with which my most respected master approached life; a man in his seventies with the ability to do the splits as if he was 22. Despite the seriousness of our training, he taught me the importance of not taking oneself too seriously, placing laughter and light-heartedness even in the most serious tasks. This balance between discipline and joy has become a cornerstone of how I approach challenges and setbacks. It is also a reminder to approach our yoga practice with a light heart, finding joy in each breath and movement. The goal is to enjoy the journey not long after the destination. 6. Avoid Complacency The final lesson I learned was to never settle and never to rest on one’s laurels.  Being 'smart but lazy' was a trap I fell into, thinking talent alone was enough. But in yoga, as in life, continuous effort and dedication to growth are what truly define us. Reflecting on these lessons a decade later, their impact extends far beyond the physical confines of the academy. They have shaped my approach to life, work, and personal growth, serving as a compass through challenges and decisions. As I navigate the complexities of the world, the principles of discipline, resilience, authenticity, dedication, joy, and continuous effort remain my guiding lights. In sharing these lessons, I hope to inspire others to embrace their unique journeys, confront challenges with resilience and joy, and pursue personal growth with discipline and openness. Remember, the path to self-discovery and fulfillment is both arduous and beautiful, paved with lessons learned from every step of the journey.[Sabina during a kung fu grading in front of the different Shaolin masters.]

Sabina

WeaponUP Is Not a Program - It's a Practice

[Practicing WeaponUP at Home] A lot of people have sincerely told me: “I love the WeaponUP program!” And I flinch a little bit. I totally get it though. It can look like a program from the outside—especially with our online studio offers like Ten Days to Sword Mastery or Foundations and Flow.  But here’s the truth: WeaponUP is not a program. It’s a practice. Let me explain. A program has a beginning and an end. It’s something you complete. You check the box. You lose the weight. You are done. You move on. A practice is something you return to. It grows with you. It shifts as you shift. It’s something you come back to—on your strong days, your tired days, your “I just need to breathe and move” days. WeaponUP Sword Yoga Fusion is designed to live in your body—not just your schedule. Yes, we offer and will continue offering structured programs to help guide your journey. They’re incredible for getting started, staying focused, or building skills. But they’re stepping stones—not the whole path. Because this practice isn’t about finishing. It’s about feeling. It’s about learning how to move with your sword in a way that supports your strength, your rhythm, your confidence. It’s about discovering new layers of grace, power, and presence every time you step on the mat. It’s about giving your body a way to move that feels free, not forced. And the beautiful thing? All bodies are welcome here. You can be brand new. You can be coming back after a break. You can be deep in your training. Wherever you are, the practice meets you. And it has room for you to grow. I’ve been training for years, and I’m still learning. Still discovering new edges. Still softening old patterns. Still gaining new skills. Still showing up. So if you’re wondering whether WeaponUP is a program you can finish, the answer is: no. It’s a practice you can come home to. And if something in you is saying, “I want to try this…” — listen to that. Join us in the studio. Pick up a sword. Start moving. Not to complete something. But to come back to yourself. Wherever you are in your journey, you’re welcome here. We’ll meet you on the mat.

Sabina