Somerville Area Self Defense School Resumes In-Person Classes

Boston School of Boabom Will Offer Both In-Person and Virtual Classes

Brookline, Massachusetts — The Boston School of Boabom, a Somerville area martial arts school, today announced that it has resumed in-person classes at its Brookline location. The school will continue to offer virtual live and streaming classes in addition to the in-person sessions.

The school—the only one of its kind in the U.S. dedicated to the Boabom arts—had transitioned to online learning at the start of the pandemic in 2020, thus introducing Boabom to a wide variety of potential students who may not have otherwise been able to attend in-person classes due to distance and time restraints.

Yemado, the school’s director, says that the school’s hybrid model of classes will give their students greater flexibility than ever before.

“Our foray into teaching Boabom virtually proved so successful that we knew once we could safely teach in-person classes again that we would definitely continue to offer our classes online,” he said. “We now have students from all over the world who study Boabom in our regular classes. That showed us the power of online learning.”

“It also allows our local students the convenience of studying Boabom from the comfort and privacy of their home, and enables them to take a class when it’s convenient for them,” he stated. “They don’t have to spend time commuting to our location or trying to beat Boston area traffic to make a class on time.”

“On the other hand, our in-person classes also allow our students to form connections with like-minded people, something that can’t always be done when you’re taking a class online,” he continued. “So we’re really excited to be able to offer online, live, and hybrid options, as each has its own advantages and drawbacks. Our students can decide what works best for them and their goals.”

Both in-person and virtual classes are kept on the small side so that every student can get as much out of the lessons as possible. The smaller class size allows the teacher to give more personalized attention to each student as they progress through the Boabom arts.

Boabom is an form of Self-defense with roots in ancient Tibet that combines breathing and relaxation techniques with progressively taught self defense techniques. The Boston School of Boabom teaches both Seamm-Jasani, the “gentler” version of Boabom referred to as the “art of relaxation,” as well as Osseous Boabom, also known as the “art of defense and energy.”

Neither form of Boabom requires making physical contact with another participant, which helps lower the risk of injury while eliminating the the stress that comes with hitting or being hit by another person. The martial art itself is also non-competitive in nature, and the school does not participate in any competitions. Whether taking classes in-person or virtually, Yemado says this unique aspect is attractive to many people.

“Many of our students appreciate the fact that Boabom requires them to focus on themselves and their own development rather than comparing themselves to their classmates,” he explained. “Combined with Boabom’s philosophy of non-contact and non-competition, students can release stress and put their full energy into the movements without worrying about pulling punches, hurting someone else or themselves, or feeling that they are being singled out in a class.”

In addition to offering classes in both Seamm-Jasani and Osseous Boabom, the school also teaches Yaanbao, which is Boabom with a staff. Right now the school is offering in-person Seamm-Jasani classes for beginners on Saturday mornings, and Osseous Boabom classes on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The Boston School of Boabom plans to add in-person beginner Yaanbao classes to its schedule soon. There are introductory streaming classes that are free and available at any time. Yemado expects the full schedule to be available in the coming weeks.

“We’re excited to venture into this new hybrid class platform and see the many ways it benefits our students,” he said. “It will help make Boabom’s benefits more accessible to people throughout the Boston area and beyond more than ever before.”

To view the class schedule and register for a session, visit https://bostonboabom.com/schedules/

About The Boston School of Boabom

The Boston School of Boabom is a community of teachers specializing in the Arts of Boabom, a teaching based on an ancient system of relaxation, meditation, breathing, and defense with origins dating back to pre-Buddhist Tibet. Boabom combines active relaxation, meditation in movement, and defense techniques, all in a no-contact, non-competitive environment. Its instructors work together to create a positive and respectful environment that is open to all. The school offers classes for children, adults, and seniors in a friendly, positive atmosphere.