History of Nabi Su
Grand Master Min Q Pai
A Brief History of Nabi Su
Grand Master Min Q Pai was born in Korea in the 1930s and moved to the United States as a young man in the 1950s. He studied mathematics in college and worked on a dairy farm.
He began teaching martial arts in New York City in the early 1960s. Master Pai received his Black Belt at 14 years of age. He called his school Yun Mu Kwan Karate, which he often translated as “constantly honing yourself.” Yun Mu Kwan is a particular style of Tai Kwan Do. The word Karate was the only word anyone in America used at the time to denote martial arts. He began teaching in the Stamford, CT area twice weekly. He combined the NY and CT schools during the intense training and formal grading periods called Seminars which were held three times a year.
The 1970s were a transformative decade for Master Pai, as he met both Eido Roshi and Chang Man Ching. Studying with absolute intensity both Zen Meditation and Tai Chi Chuan, Master Pai changed the Karate school. Students now were expected to sit, do Zazen, and all Black Belts were immediately taught Tai Chi. Additionally, there were now students who studied Tai Chi only without ever learning Karate. The moves being taught in Karate class, always evolving as Master Pai learned or perceived a better way, now changed dramatically as Kung Fu forms and exercises replaced many of the Karate and Tai Kwan Do ways of moving.
In December of 1987 Master Pai introduced an entirely new form he had created, Nabi Su, and eventually changed the name of the style and of the school to Nabi Su. Nabi means Butterfly in Korean.
In 1979 Master Pai purchased property in Pound Ridge, NY which was to become Wellspring Zendo. This land afforded an opportunity for the students to build their spirit/bodies in a new way through work/practice, moving through the beautiful country setting practicing posture and no-thought while lifting, carrying, chopping, planting, breathing. Even before the Monastery was built, sitting practice took place in the open air, formal traditions enacted in a pioneer setting.
Gradually Master Pai spent more time at Wellspring and less in New York City. In 1992 he offered the New York School to the Black Belts. Only two accepted, James Stewart and Carolyn Campora. Stewart would find that his home, family and work nearer Wellspring demanded his full attention. Carolyn Campora became the head of Nabi Su, continuing the tradition of Master Pai’s teaching of the martial arts in New York City.
Master Pai has left an indelible mark on the world, profoundly affecting the lives of many directly, as well as indirectly through all those whose lives his students touch. We are grateful, Sir, every day, for your teaching.
Gassho
View photos of Grand Master Min Q Pai, as taken by Ramon Korff.
Carolyn Campora
Master, Nabi Su Tai Chi, Kung Fu & Wellness
Congratulations to Master Campora on over 40 Years in the Martial Arts!
"How did it get to be over 40 years? I just kept doing it! I never stopped. I love Kung Fu and Tai Chi and I'm grateful to Master Pai every day for teaching me."
A Brief Bio
At Nabi Su Martial Arts & Wellness Center, everything we do nurtures the body, mind and spirit. We employ physical, mental and energetic techniques to calm and strengthen, expand awareness and enhance well-being.
In 1973, just back from an extensive trip, Carolyn Campora enrolled in a karate class with the idea that having some self-protection skills would be useful in accomplishing her goal of traveling throughout the world. The new adventure proved so engaging that she has continued for 40 years, much of that time practicing seven days a week, three to four hours a day. Travel has remained a much-loved activity, but the martial arts became her life work when in 1992 she assumed full responsibility for Nabi Su Martial Arts & Wellness Center.
Master Campora’s education includes the following: MBA in Finance, Cornell University; BA in Politics, University of California, Santa Cruz; graduate level art studies, New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture; Reiki Master Certification, Ibiki Ken Institute. She is an Accredited Level II Practitioner of Resonance Repatterning and member of Resonance Repatterning Practitioners' Association.
She is also a member of the Cornell Club of New York the Circumnavigators’ Club, and the Travelers’ Century Club. Opera is her favorite entertainment.
As Nabi Su’s Master, Carolyn Campora brings her training, wisdom and expertise to your training, personally teaching most of the Tai Chi and Kung Fu Martial Arts classes, assisted by Nabi Su's Black Belts.
In addition to teaching martial arts, on the Wellness side Master Campora maintains a practice in several energy-based therapies, offering private sessions in Reiki, Resonance Repatterning and Astrology. She teaches Reiki I, II and III Classes. She acts as your guide and coach in Nutritional Cleansing, super foods that support you as you evolve in well-being and fulfillment.
For corporations, Master Campora offers Executive Wellness Workshops, a fast track to being centered. Easy, instant stress reduction techniques increase productivity as they uphold calm, effective functioning.
View our Nabi Su photo album.
