TEDxBloomington -- Stephen Hayes -- "Wisdom Plays to our Attention"

An-shu Stephen Kinryu-Jien Hayes, founder of To-Shin Do Kasumi-An Ninja Martial Arts has spent his entire adult life in the pursuit of perfection through the study of the Asian martial arts and spiritual traditions, living and traveling throughout North America, Japan, Europe, the Arctic, China, Tibet, Nepal, and India. Stephen has been described as one of the five brightest stars in the martial arts; a legend, by Black Belt Magazine Yearbook 1998, one of the ten most influential living martial artists in the world, by Black Belt Magazine March 2006, and a legend in the martial arts, by Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, father of Taekwondo in America. He has demonstrated self-protection combat skills to military and law-enforcement groups including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the FBI Academy, the American Society for Law Enforcement Training, and members of Britain's elite SAS. He has worked on special assignments with the United States Department of State Dignitary Security Services, and under contract with the United States Defense Intelligence Agency. Dedicated to promoting the benefits of Life Mastery Through Martial Arts, he travels the world as teacher, seminar leader, and lecturer, inspiring others by translating his extensive background in martial arts and meditation into practical lessons for handling the pressures, uncertainties, and stresses of life. Many students, readers, and seminar participants have reported that his teachings have brought them deep encouragement and empowerment, and inspired them to achieve new levels of success in their personal and professional lives. His presentation at TEDxBloomington started our conference day with a provocative explanation of what "ninja" really means, followed by a cautionary tale of what might happen when you read fiction in junior high study hall. His experiences as bodyguard for the Dalai Lama resonated strongly with the Bloomington audience. Http://stephenkhayes.com About TEDx In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxBloomington, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxBloomington event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.