Yemado has been running the Boston School of Boabom out of a studio in Brookline Village for 17 years. Yemado discovered that the powerful and healing martial arts form translates remarkably well to an online platform during the pandemic shutdowns.
Boabom is a system of movements that exercise the body and the mind in a variety of ways. The different styles range from gentle and meditative to energetic and self-defense-oriented. The practice aims to utilize the full body and exercise strategies for a more calm and meditative mindset.
Physical self-defense movements, such as blocks and strikes, are important, but Yemado found that mental self-defense has been paramount during the pandemic. “We’re not physically threatened on a regular basis, or hopefully not,” he says. “But we are psychologically assaulted all the time. Life is stressful. Through the practice of an art like Boabom, we can become more resilient and less likely to take that stress on.”
An online class consists of movements, some more physical like strikes and some to develop balance, gentle breathing patterns, and mental vitality. Each class reviews the foundational movements and what was learned previously and then adds on to it.
In his almost two decades working in Brookline, Yemado has developed a large network of practitioners around the globe, students who started at the school while in Greater Boston and have since moved away. The Boston School of Boabom is the principal school of the discipline in the United States, and Yemado has been getting requests for virtual classes for years. Finally, during COVID-19 shutdowns, he had the chance to try it out.
“Almost all of my students have been able to transition to online, and actually, our school grew because we were able to break down geographic boundaries,” says Yemado. In one class, he might teach students in Boston, Vancouver, and Moscow simultaneously. “The progressive nature translates well to online because we’re learning one or two things every class and then repeating them and building on them.”
Yemado also ran a free meditation class during the pandemic to help abate the stresses on the community. For those hoping to try the art form now, a free entry-level class is conducted every week. New members are always placed together in a beginner class, so there is no stress to keep up with more advanced students. There are also several short, recorded classes on the school’s website that participants can stream to understand the practice.
Boston School of Boabom will continue with a hybrid model even after the pandemic has passed, says Yemado. This allows him to bring greater value to students across the world. “At a very fundamental or basic level, I hope the student feels better than they did before,” he says. “Absolutely everyone needs some way to release their stress and build positive energy.”
