Ergo Vita Martial Arts & Athletic Training
Performance. Presence. Longevity.
Performance. Presence. Longevity.
Ergo Vita exists in the Lyceum as grouping of studies where martial arts, athletic training, and mindful practice overlap-helping people move with strength, breathe with intention, and live with more ease.
Ergo Vita exists alongside The Lyceum as a companion practice, a place where movement, discipline, and self-study meet, even when the paths are different. One lane focuses on athletic development for any discipline, the other on traditional martial arts viewed through a modern lens. They share a roof and a philosophy, but each serves a distinct purpose.
Athletic training at Ergo Vita stands on its own. It is not derived from martial arts and it does not require any connection to them. The purpose is simple: help people build a body that supports the life and activities they care about.
Work begins with the body an individual has right now, including their history, injuries, work demands, and goals. Training may support endurance sports, martial arts preparation, climbing, general strength development, or general well being. The approach draws from modern strength practice, mobility work, breath training, and mindfulness practices, creating programs that respect personal limits while gradually expanding capacity.
The martial arts within Ergo Vita occupy a separate but related lane. Wing Chun and Tai Chi are taught as complete systems with their own histories and internal logic. They are practiced for their structure, timing, efficiency, and internal organization.
These arts are honored in their tradition and at the same time examined through contemporary understanding of biomechanics, strength, and skill development. This gives participants a way to experience classic systems inside a modern, physically informed framework.
Athletic training and martial arts live under the same guidance, but they are not the same practice. One develops the mind and body through non-martial means for better athletic performance and capacity. The other focuses on technical, cultural, and martial awareness. What connects them is a common belief that training is an ongoing conversation with oneself, a way to understand how you move, adapt, and grow.
Ergo Vita provides the tools. Each individual decides how they fit.
If you’ve been looking for training that feels both grounded and sustainable, reach out and we’ll explore what makes sense for you.
People find their way to Ergo Vita from many different places. Some are returning to movement after time off, looking for a way back that feels structured but respectful. Others are already deep into climbing, endurance sports, or martial arts and want training that helps their body keep up with what their mind is asking it to do. Some are drawn to traditional arts like Wing Chun and Tai Chi and want to practice them with an eye toward longevity, clarity, and steady growth rather than quick fixes.
Experience varies. A few have decades of training behind them, others show up completely new. What they share is a willingness to be honest about where they are starting and a curiosity about what consistent practice might change. From there, the work becomes a quiet, ongoing conversation with their own body and mind.
This path is for individuals who want their body to support the work they already care about. That might mean:
The emphasis is on practical, sustainable progress that fits into real life and respects existing commitments, stress, and history.
This lane is for individuals who want to study Wing Chun or Tai Chi as living martial arts, with the benefit of a modern, physically informed perspective. It tends to attract people who:
Some focus entirely on the arts themselves. Others use them to complement their broader training or the work they do through The Lyceum.
In either case, there is no requirement to fit a particular mold. Some people come only for athletic training. Some come only for the arts. Others blend both as it makes sense for them. Ergo Vita provides the structure and guidance, and each individual decides what they want that to serve.
If you’ve been looking for training that feels personal, thoughtful, and sustainable, reach out and we can explore what approach fits your goals and your life.
Training that only focuses on output burns out quickly, and training that only focuses on stillness can drift away from the demands of real life. Ergo Vita works in the middle space where effort and awareness support each other instead of pulling apart.
We develop strength, endurance, and coordinated power, but we also work on breath control, nervous system regulation, and the ability to stay composed when life becomes stressful. The aim is not to choose between performance or presence, but to understand how both shape the way you move, recover, and respond.
In practice, this balance helps you train hard without collapsing, slow down without disconnecting, and build a body that feels capable rather than overwhelmed. It is a steadier and more sustainable approach to long term practice, and one that carries into the rest of your life just as much as it carries into the gym.
If this balance speaks to you, reach out and we will explore how it might support your training.
At Ergo Vita, four key elements guide our approach. They show up differently for everyone, yet each contributes to strength, awareness, and a practice that supports you over the long term.
A close-range art that develops alignment, structure, and directness. At Ergo Vita we use Wing Chun to explore efficient mechanics, centerline theory, and relaxed, responsive movement under pressure, with Chi Sao training at the core of how we build tactile awareness and adaptability.
Slow, connected forms that cultivate balance, breath, and sensitivity. We work primarily within the Sun and Yang systems, using the forms as a way to study continuity, relaxation, and structual organization. Push Hands practice becomes a lab for applying these principles in real time with another person.
Strength and conditioning built around real bodies and real schedules. Training emphasizes joint-friendly strength, mobility, and energy system development that supports long term capacity. The goal is to reinforce whatever you care about. Fitness to us after all is "the ablility to do a task," be it martial arts, climbing, endurance, lifting weights, losing weight, or simply moving well in daily life, without competing with it.
Practices that connect attention, breath, and posture. From simple breathing protocols to standing work and gentle Qigong flows, to more intesnse athleticly aimmed practices, this branch helps reset the system, regulate stress, and build a calmer baseline that supports both training and life beyond the gym.
At Ergo Vita we keep the structure clear so the practice can stay thoughtful, sustainable, and connected to your real life, while still fitting inside the broader Lyceum framework.
We offer private lessons and small group sessions designed to fit into your life, not the other way around. Some sessions focus on athletic development, some on Wing Chun or Tai Chi, and many blend elements of both. In every case the work is adaptive and conversational, built around your goals, your pace, and your reasons for showing up.
Each session follows a simple rhythm: conversation, exploration, then flow. We start with dialogue, move into guided practice on the mat or in the gym, and finish with time where the material becomes more lived in and responsive.
One on one sessions shaped around your particular mix of needs, whether that is mobility, strength, martial development, nervous system regulation, or support for a specific sport or activity.
Shared practice for people who enjoy learning together while still having room for individual coaching and reflection. Small groups often work well for training partners, friends, or teammates with related goals.
Invite only blocks for participants who are comfortable exploring material on their own with access to coaching when needed. These hours function as part lab and part practice hall, and often connect back to the wider Lyceum training community.
We recommend training at least once a week, not as a requirement but because steady practice is what allows real change in how you move, feel, and recover.
If you are unsure which direction fits you best,
message us and we will talk through it together.
Training uses a flexible, donation based model with straightforward suggested rates:
These are suggested numbers, not hard gates. The intention is to keep Ergo Vita accessible while still honoring the time, preparation, and space it takes to run training well as part of the broader Lyceum collective.
If you have questions about cost or access, please
reach out. We are happy to talk.
Each group in the collective has it's own flavor and focus. These aren't seperate places so much as our method of categoizing the things we do. You’re welcome and invited to move between them and explore what fits you best.