| Four Winds Martial Arts Training Yoga & Meditation |
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| Yoga & Meditation? To say yoga and meditation have no place in the martial arts is to deny an entire half of a martial artist's development. The Chinese (along with just about every other culture) have espoused the duality of life also known as the Yang and Yin. The Yang has been equated to light, the male, and assertiveness, or the obvious martial arts training. The more subliminal side is the Yin, which is defined as the dark, the female, and passiveness. To be a complete human being, let alone a complete martial artist, a person must have an EQUAL portion of both. Furthermore, proper breathing as done in both yoga & meditation has innumerable health benefits. Meditation & the Martial Arts There is an inextricable link between the martial arts and meditation; for centuries the elite military and martial arts masters have used meditation to clear the mind, bring peace to the body, and unify the spirit. Samurai, Chinese monks, native American Indian warriors, and others have all used meditation to improve their skills in the battle field. |
| Yoga & the Martial Arts My first martial arts teacher, Jonathan Shapero, made a comment about yoga and the martial arts; he said, "The greatest gift you can give a martial artist is flexibility." Now, he was not referring to being so flexible you have no power to deliver an effective technique; however, it is much easier to build strength (to generate power) on pliable muscles than it is to make strong (and stiff) muscles flexible. I have been weight lifting for my entire adult life, and I can tell you first hand, most injuries (tears & strains) to muscles and tendons have been exacerbated by stiff muscles. The shear dynamic of martial arts makes it imperative to be flexible to prevent injuries. More importantly, most violent encounters occur when one is NOT stretched out; therefore, maintaining a certain degree of flexibility will increase range, power, and agility under stress. What is Four Winds take...? Each lesson begins with a few moments of Zen type meditation, which is NON-RELIGIOUS!!! The purpose of the meditation is just to clear the mind to focus on the upcoming training; there is no religious dogma involved. After meditation, stretching will involve moving through several yoga positions while performing proper breathing. More time can be spent on yoga & meditation at the request of the client; also Four Winds offers yoga & meditation lessons. |
