Meditation & Martial Arts

Meditation is an important element of many traditional martial arts such as Karate, Kung Fu and Tai Chi. In Karate, mediation is often referred to as Mokuso (Japanese for clearing one's mind). In Chinese martial arts, meditation is often a part of Qigong training.

Students of other martial arts such as Krav Maga and Mixed Martial Arts usually do not practice meditation techniques.

Meditation Objectives & Goals for Martial Arts

• Inner focus
• Stress relief
• To control or calm emotions (i.e. anger or fear)
• Muscle relaxation
• Mental visualization of techniques
• To practice martial arts breathing exercises (such as Aikido breathing exercises)
• To separate the outside world from the Dojo
• To help achieve "no mind" or Mushin. This is the ability to act and react intuitively without hesitation or active thought (i.e. when sparring or in a self-defense situation).