Over the last 5 months since the inception of TheMartialArtsReporter.com my foremost goal has been and will continue to be to provide my readers with the greatest possible diversity of mainly positive martial arts related posts.
Readership has been growing faster than anticipated and I am certainly more than happy about that.
I’ll be honest with you: Make my day simply by visiting this blog whenever you want a quick ‘lift me up’ and tell all your friends about it.
If you have ever sent any comments in the past, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Don’t stop now!
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Thank you so much for your continuing support and interest.
This year seems to be moving at lightning speed. Two months have already passed and here’s the last Week In Review February 2010:
The term meditation (in Japanese, Mokuso) refers to a variety of techniques or practices intended to focus or control attention.
Most of them are rooted in Eastern traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures and martial arts throughout the world for thousands of years.
I remember that during my years of studying Shotokan karate we always started and ended our training sessions with a short, maybe 1-2 minute each of relaxation or meditation in a kneeling position, also known as ‘seiza’.
The important part is to control your breathing like this:
Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, exhale from deep within the abdomen.
Relax to let the troubles of the day evaporate, and clear your mind to be ready for the Karate class and to start refreshened.
Mokuso is the time to clear your head and eliminate any anger before entering class. There is no religious meaning attached to Mokuso.
A even more physically active way of meditation would be by performing kata .
Today, many people use meditation even outside of its traditional settings as a form of mind-body medicine.
Many claims have been made about its value in promoting or improving health and wellness.
Just this morning I read that daily meditation exercises have the potential to cut the risk of death from heart attack by 30 (thirty) percent and cancer even by 49 (forty-nine) percent.
There are even claims that one can add up to 12 more years to on’e life. That’s powerful in my book.
There you have it in a nutshell: Mokuso Or The Power Of Meditation Not Only for Martial Artists.
Don’t try this while driving or operating heavy machinery!
Honestly, I have been very fortunate to have travelled to a number of very desirable places in the world.
One of my absolute favorite places, if not my most favorite ever, is Hong Kong.
The first time I visited Hong Kong was in November 1992 and I can’t believe that was 17 years ago, OMG!
I have been there quite often ever since. And I just love it more every time I visit.
What it is really cool about staying on the mainland, especially in TST (Tsim Sha Tsui):
The absolutely breathtaking view you get of Hong Kong’s world famous skyline on Hong Kong island.
All while looking across Hong Kong Harbor, which is one the busiest waterways in the world.
In my opinion, there’s nothing like it! Alright, I admit it, I am biased.
Now, that you have taken in this superb view from your hotel room (when booking, ask for ‘harbourview’), it’s time for us to head down to the waterfront for some early exercise.
Don’t worry, we’re not going to hit the heavy bag or anything like that.
I was thinking more of Tai Chi to start the day.
Understand that Tai Chi aims at 3 elements:
Health: Tai Chi emphasizes the relief of physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
Without a doubt, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
Meditation: To maintain ultimate health, the meditative element of tai chi is considered essential, especially when applying the form as a soft martial art.
Finally, martial art: This is challenging, because it takes a long time of training to skillfully use Tai Chi as effective self-defense. Instead of meeting opposing force head-on, one attempts to yield and “stick” to an incoming attack.
And this is actually what I experienced while I was there:
It’s really quite relaxing and you need to try it, seriously.
I have seen early morning ( 6 a.m.!) Tai Chi practiced in courtyards in Beijing and Shanghai which I also truly enjoyed, but I gotta tell ya Hong Kong is still my favorite.
