If the current wave of self-development, spirituality, and the concept of rejoicing your inner child sucked you right in and just won't let you go, and you have been dealing with this insatiable curiosity about the interplay of your own spirit and the Universe for a while, you have most probably come across various meditation practices, have read a few kilograms of psychology-related books, have been journaling, listening to podcasts, and I bet you are also doing yoga.
Where Do Martial Arts Come in the Picture?
But am I wrong if I also suppose that you haven't thought of starting martial arts as a means to expand your experience to this end? And I don't mean Tai Chi (although it is also great), but a real hardcore one, like Ju-jitsu or Karate.
At first, this idea may seem a little wild, but aren't we here to experience everything that supports our learning?
When I walked into the dojo for the first time, I had no idea how it would contribute to my self-development journey, I just knew I definitely must start karate. (How I knew it is a cute little story; maybe I'll tell you at another time.) During the first few sessions, it became clear that karate - besides of its obvious physical benefits - offers an excellent path of lifelong spiritual development.
Life Is Like Karate - Or the Other Way Around?
What I observed is that while working on a seemingly simple movement, like a straight punch, you can make several mistakes. And here comes the interesting part: each mistake you make represents an analogy to the mistakes you make in other areas of your life. For example, when I, instead of punching in a straight line, incorporated all kinds of swerves and hooks in the routing, it broke the energy of the motion. Just think of it: how many times we don't opt for the straightforward, simplest solution in life's matters, because either we fear being straightforward, or because we have learned early on that there must be a trick to everything, the easiest path must have a trap somewhere. We unnecessarily make things complicated, and we lose so much energy in the process. And as we learn the punch, we are also learning to let go of the unnecessary patterns.
Our physical movements have an impact on how we behave spiritually. Just like standing tall and smiling instantly affects our mood, working on our precision and balance also means we are working on balancing our lives and sharpening our thinking and actions.
How It Works
Perfecting techniques requires turning inwards, discovering and overcoming our limitations. This is not an easy job; it requires relentless diligence and consistent discipline, just like life does. If you want results in anything, be it a professional achievement or management of your love life. One needs to experiment, play a little bit, and work out the most optimal movement and find the techniques that fit into one's overall experience of their physical features. Learning and perfecting the techniques is a slow process. This has taught me to be patient with myself, leading to self-acceptance and as I progressed, ultimately to self-love.
Pair exercises require immense concentration. While you focus your attention on the sequence of techniques, you also have to feel your partner's movements, calibrate the distance, and work in harmony. This teaches you to watch out for the outside world, notice opportunities and take action to reach your goals, whatever goals you might have in mind.
When I first tried it, I was afraid I was getting hit - a challenge right there: to overcome fear by gaining competence. Later I couldn't find the right distance, which taught me to think first and act after. And finally, learning that the purpose of karate is not to fight, but to allow is priceless.
And here comes my favorite: the famous kiai shouts we use in martial arts show exactly where your energetic blocks are. To make it sound like you mean it, you have to let out all your energy, to show yourself to the world just the way you are. You have to shed all your inhibitions, and learn to not to dim your own light. Once you master it, you become unstoppable. This is currently something I am working on both in the dojo and outside of it.
Putting It All Together
So really, if you haven't considered incorporating the practice of martial arts in your self-development journey, this is your opportunity to find a dojo and a Sensei who can open the door for you. But don't forget, it's still you who has to walk through it.