About me
Hi there, I’m Maren. I grew up in Norway, and was lucky to have a dad with a background in jiu jitsu who thought it was important that I knew how to protect myself. Some of my earliest memories of self-defence are from our living room, where he would teach me the basics through play. What started as an admiration for my dad’s cool skills eventually grew into a deep passion for martial arts, and I’ve now been training and competing in different disciplines for more than 12 years.
Over the years I’ve practiced kickboxing, boxing, muay thai, taekwondo, Japanese jiu jitsu, and karate. I’m a certified MUDO instructor and have coached both groups and 1:1 clients across different age groups for several years. I also co-created Somana, a playful movement practice that blends martial arts, dance, and yoga, and I currently teach self-defence and “Box Release” at Studio13 in Oslo.
And I’m simply someone who loves to move. I practice yoga, dance, and somatic movement regularly and, for me, movement is an ongoing exploration. A way of paying attention to the body from the inside and noticing how it adapts, learns, and finds its own clever solutions. The more we explore it, the more we discover ways to cooperate with the body we’ve been given.
My approach
My approach to self-defence is a little different from most martial-arts based classes. While physical techniques are important, they’re only one part of the picture. In reality, violence and boundary-crossing don’t only happen physically — they can also be emotional, social, sexual, or psychological.
Because of that, I’m interested in understanding how different forms of violence actually unfold: the patterns, signals, and dynamics behind them. I look at how we can recognize these situations earlier, avoid them when possible, and respond in ways that protect our safety and autonomy.
In my work, physical self-defence is one tool among several. I also focus on the elements that shape how safe and confident we feel in the world — posture, voice, awareness, intuition, boundaries, and how our nervous system responds under stress.
That’s why my sessions combine practical self-defence techniques with movement, awareness training, and exercises that build presence and confidence. The goal isn’t to turn people into fighters, but to help them feel more prepared, more grounded, and more at home in their bodies — with real options if their boundaries are ever crossed.