Lynn Varghese was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2003. After three surgeries and a shunt, it was found to be benign. In 2012, she began training martial arts in her basement for a full year before finally joining a martial art class.  Listen in to her inspiring story here:  https://anchor.fm/andrea-harkins/episodes/Lynn-Varghese—A-Brain-Tumor-Survivor-Dedicated-to-Martial-Arts-enoddf

Lynn is a devoted wife & mother as well as an energetic and determined martial art woman and instructor.

Biography & Personal Information: 

Excerpts from Lynn’s letter sent to Guro Dan and Simo Paula Inosanto to apply for instructorship and an interview with Bethany Dillon.

Presently she is an Instructor at the Kali Academy of St. Louis.  I teach MKG (Minnesota Kali Group) Phase 1 Curriculum – Guro Rick Faye.

Bio: 

I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO.  I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Christian Ministries and a Minor in Art and an Associates Degree in Registered Health Information Technologies.  I have been married for 25 years and I have one child, a 20-year-old son.  In my professional life I work at Mercy Medical Center. First as a Health Information Management Associate and in 2010 became a Medical Coder for Mercy.  I have been employed at Mercy for 17 years. During those 17 years I have had several opportunities to train ladies I work with in Self-Defense.

My Martial Arts journey actually began when my son decided to start training at Apex Training Center under Guro Matt Stumpf.  My son Ben trained with him for 6 years. This sparked my interest to train as well. Therefore, in 2011 I started training in my basement by watching Guro Inosanto’s DVD-Collector’s Series: Training In the Martial Arts/3 Disc Set.  This is how I learned all the basics of the Filipino Martial Art, along with some Jun Fan Gung Fu.  I trained with those DVDs for an entire year non-stop, practicing every chance I got. Then in 2012 I joined in the training sessions along with my son.  I continued to train with Guro Stumpf for about 2 ½ years till I started training with Guro Joe Craig in 2016.

In 2013 I attended my first Inosanto Seminar in St. Louis, MO. To date I have attended 19 Inosanto Seminars across the country.  Lord willing, I plan to continue attending many more seminars in the future. I am extremely blessed by the time I am able to spend growing as a person and a Martial Artist in this work. I am always eager to train and learn more, so I can share with those I train with on a regular basis.

Apex Martial Arts in St. Louis, Missouri is my place for training. I train with Guro’s Joe Craig and Roy Hagan, and have been doing so since 2012 (I have cross-trained with several individuals while at Apex). Currently, I hold certification as an Instructor in the Apex Integrated Method, Associate Instructor in the Lacoste/Inosanto Method of Filipino Martial Arts and Apprentice Instructor in Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do under Guro Joe Craig.

In addition to my support of the programs taught at the Apex Martial Arts Academy, I assist Guro Joe Craig with training the adults and Guro Erol Weber with the Kids Classes.  I have worked hard to develop a Women’s Kali Class, called Chicks with Sticks, which I teach every week, along with a Women’s Weights Class and Cardio Kickboxing Class. Also, I have had the privilege to lead several Ladies and Young Ladies, Girl-Scouts and Cub-Scouts Self-Defense Workshops in the St. Louis and St. Charles areas. I have been blessed to assist Guro Diana Rathborne on a couple of instances (Self Defense Seminar in Kansas City and the ILEETA Seminar in St. Louis.

Role Models/Mentors:

There are several people who have been and continue to be role models and mentors in my life.  Just a few of them are Guro Joe Craig (my current Sifu), Simo Lynda Hatch, Guro Rick Faye, Guro Linda Ramsay, Guro Diana Rathborne, Guro Michelle Kuzma, Guro Suzanne Luna Spezzano and of course Guro Dan Inosanto.

Chicks with Sticks Class: 

I am grateful for the opportunity to teach my Chicks with Sticks Class (Filipino Martial Arts), Ladies classes in Boxing and Cardio exercise.  Also, I am privileged to teach, along with other Apex Instructors, Girl Scouts and women in the St. Louis and surrounding areas Self-Defense.

Benefits of Filipino Martial Arts: 

In regards to Women and training within the Filipino Martial arts and the benefits therein, there are several points that come to mind. First, it trains the hands to move in opposition to one another, but in a way that does not cause chaos, but fluid beauty.  When you train in Filipino Martial Arts, you have to forget the concept of left or right.  Items such as scarves, brooms, cell phones and objects found in every day life, can become a weapon for self-protection.  We use the sticks, staff, and training knives as mediums that will eventually translate to empty hand movements.

Secondly, Filipino Martial Arts lends itself to learning to control distance, either creating more distance or closing it off in very effective ways.  Third, I personally have found that it sharpens the mind, the reflexes and balance, while raising ones confidence in regards to self-protection.  Lastly, Filipino Martial Arts has taught me a lot about myself as a Martial Artist.  As I continue to learn and grow within the art and put Lynn’s personality stamp onto the art, I am amazed at how my body and mind responds.

As I train ladies in Filipino Martial Arts, I see women wanting to learn the art for different reasons.  Some come for the self-defense aspect that FMA can provide, thus raising their confidence in a world that is highly unpredictable at times when it comes to crimes against women. Others come for the cardio exercise that it provides, some for the mental sharpness that it can create and many come for the social bond it can create among other women.

My goal when I train my ladies is to allow them to learn, grow, be encouraged and challenged and to realize that martial arts does not have to be intimidating, but can be fun, functional and motivational on many levels.

I strive to take the basic techniques of the arts that I train in and incorporate into my self-defense workshops.  All the attributes that we develop in the workshops are empty hand. Teaching the ladies that they can protect themselves with everyday items. I teach them to learn the basics of self-protection: Prevention, Awareness and Avoidance.

Just wanted to thank all my Apex Family who has been so instrumental in my martial arts journey.  Apex has afforded me so many opportunities to teach and train others, which I am truly grateful for, would not want to train anywhere else. Their encouragement, instruction, patience and friendship are invaluable!

Links & Info: 

Current Titles:

Under Guro Joe Craig-Instructor in the Apex Integrated Method (2017)
-Associate Instructor in the Lacoste/Inosanto Method of Filipino Martial Arts (2017)
-Apprentice Instructor in Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do (2017)
-Apprentice Instructor in Maphilindo Silat  (2017)

Under Guro Rick FayeMKG (Minnesota Kali Group) Level 1 Instructor (2020)

Links: 

Kali Academy- https://www.kaliacademystl.com/

MKG – https://www.mnkali.com/

MKG International Zoom Classes – https://www.mkguniversity.com/courses/live-mkg-international-class?fbclid=IwAR29oh4mJg629-43TSpnEogtfur95pnuIODna-MSvgxDdhLD7ySr13_pS74

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Andrea’s Links & Info: