By AMANDA SOTELO
Special to the NEWS
From karate mom to a martial arts black belt, Anastacia Ortiz found herself in an unlikely place nearly nine years ago as a martial artist, and is now the owner of Metamorphix Martial Arts, Harlingen’s up and coming martial arts training and mentorship center.
“It was martial arts that saved me,” said the 34-year-old. “It was the light in my dark world. It turned out to be exactly what I needed.”
Battling anxiety and depression, the San Benito native found martial arts to be her saving grace, training alongside her son, who is now 14 and has achieved black belt status also.
“It all started because I used to help my son practice, but when I realized how empowered it made me feel, I began training also and never looked back,” she said. “Actually, martial arts training is a family affair…all four of my children train.”
With nearly a decade of martial arts training and teaching under her belt, Ortiz felt there was no better time than the present to move forward with her dream of owning a martial arts studio – Metamorphix Martial Arts, a name inspired by the students she trains and the obstacles she has overcome.
“Think of the time lapse of a butterfly, from caterpillar to cocoon. Then it emerges and spreads its wings as a butterfly for the first time, that is a metamorphosis, and that is what happens when a student walks through my doors,” said Ortiz. “And together with the phoenix, which always rises again, the way we rise after falling or overcoming barriers, we get the metamorphix.”
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