By Renee Ramsarran

If you've caught the previews for the upcoming action movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, then you have had a taste of what parkour is. Jake Gyllenhall bulked up for his role by training with David Belle and mastering the French martial art. 

The son of an acrobat, Belle is widely credited with having founded the sport as a teenager, inspired by his father and driven by "a need to move." A friend named it "parkour" after parcours du combatant, the obstacle courses of the French military. 

The difficult technique embraces a simple philosophy: There are no obstacles, only possibilities. 

Parkour enthusiasts, known as traceurs, pride themselves on fluid movements as they charge through urban landscapes by climbing, vaulting, crawling, swinging, leaping and balancing themselves in ways that seem impossible. It's a discipline that permits exploration of the potential offered by your body.

With parkour there also seems to be a connection to your inner child. If you look at the way a child navigates their environment, they rarely walk in a straight line, choosing to take the more interesting route rather than the easiest one. Traceurs embrace this philosophy, finding freedom by breaking out of the physical constraints of their surroundings and carrying the same mindset into daily life.

Ask any traceur and they will tell you parkour has changed their relationship with the city they live in. It's about gaining a new sense of awareness of your environment, and an appreciation for the architecture and buildings in your city. Popular in Europe, parkour is quickly gaining ground in the United States and in Canada. The physical discipline, which picked up traction from the James Bond film Casino Royale, vaulted onto MTV this year in the series Ultimate Parkour Challenge.

Since the early 2000s, parkour communities have be growing in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver, with the largest following in Canada being in Toronto. Traceurs have coalesced around the online network pkTO (www.pkto.ca), where hundreds of members across Southern Ontario have signed up to organize parkour sessions, recommend parts of the city to train and swap videos.

Contrary to the new MTV series, parkour usually involves no competition at all. It incorporates a deeply entrenched sense of community that sets it apart from other sports.  Traceurs welcome beginners, push each other to new heights, and also stop each other from taking unnecessary risks. The only required equipment is a T-shirt, light jogging pants, a pair of running shoes, and the determination to overcome your fears.

Check back to hear from Canadian traceurs, as they write about their experiences with the discipline of parkour and its impact on their lives.

Read: A beginner's perspective
Read: From behind the lens