# Balancing the whole person--or is it a crock?



## girlbug2 (Feb 24, 2009)

The stereotypical jock is a "meathead", who works his/her body but does little to develop the mind. The stereotypical nerd  is somebody who spends most or all of his/her time in the world of intellect but does little or nothing to develop the physical self. 

Martial artists IMO should never resemble such stereotypes. Martial arts is about the body, the mind _and_ the spirit. I doubt anybody can practice their MA solely with the body, but must also engage the mind and hopefully the spirit. With that being said, I am interested in hearing from the forum about how your martial art has made you a more balanced person...IF it has helped you to become more balanced, or if you feel there may be something lacking in your training.

 Also, do you see martial arts helping to balance other people that you train with? Do you feel that the higher level martial artists that you know are more evolved physically, mentally, and/or spiritually than the average person? Or is all this mind/body/spirit thing a crock, used to sell us something?


----------



## pete (Feb 24, 2009)

anything of value, when done poorly and used for the purpose of selling can be considered a crock.

pete


----------



## Nolerama (Feb 24, 2009)

Personally, I've found a lot of solace in the MA's. I came back to them after a severe beating (6 on 1) and found that I really wasn't searching for a way to defend myself (which I did) but for a physical/mental outlet. It's been great therapy.

When I was in high school, I was a pretty good aggressive in-line skater. I grinded rails, jumped off of stair sets, and spun/flipped my way around a skate park. My favorite thing, however, was catching air in the half pipe. I would tell people I found God there; or at least a combination of my own contentment in my physical prowess, and an adrenaline/endorphin rush.

Training in MMA, I get that all the time. There's a level of imminent danger, as well as personal gratification through practice, and keeping your body in good shape.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that a sound body can and should equal a sound mind. And when the two of those mesh well, and you begin finding your skill set is more functional than the previous training session, you find your spirituality, IMHO.


----------



## girlbug2 (Feb 24, 2009)

Nolerama said:


> . My favorite thing, however, was catching air in the half pipe. I would tell people I found God there; or at least a combination of my own contentment in my physical prowess, and an adrenaline/endorphin rush.


 
I think there's something to certain sports -- surfing for instance, which I understand had a huge influence on the development of skateboarding as we know it today. There seems to be that elusive spiritual element to it, based on my observations of surfers and the way they talk about their experiences on the waves. It's almost as if a surfer has to get into the habit of humbling themselves before a mightier force than their own egos; a recognition of danger and a respect for nature seem built into the sport, in ways you dont' get with all sports. If I weren't too chicken, I'd love to surf.


----------



## Nomad (Feb 24, 2009)

girlbug2 said:


> The stereotypical jock is a "meathead", who works his/her body but does little to develop the mind. The stereotypical nerd is somebody who spends most or all of his/her time in the world of intellect but does little or nothing to develop the physical self.
> 
> Martial artists IMO should never resemble such stereotypes. Martial arts is about the body, the mind _and_ the spirit. I doubt anybody can practice their MA solely with the body, but must also engage the mind and hopefully the spirit. With that being said, I am interested in hearing from the forum about how your martial art has made you a more balanced person...IF it has helped you to become more balanced, or if you feel there may be something lacking in your training.
> 
> Also, do you see martial arts helping to balance other people that you train with? Do you feel that the higher level martial artists that you know are more evolved physically, mentally, and/or spiritually than the average person? Or is all this mind/body/spirit thing a crock, used to sell us something?


 
My martial art has had a huge influence on all three aspects mentioned. 

Prior to starting, I was overweight, doughy and uncoordinated (though like many beginners, thought I was none of the above).  The movements and kata have done wonders for my coordination, and the discipline of martial arts coupled with the desire to keep getting better gave me the focus to tackle my weight and physical conditioning issues.

In terms of the mental and spiritual side of martial arts; I am a Ph.D. level scientist who was pretty good at learning material from books (and definitely originated much closer to the nerd side of your scale than the jock), but in my training I've had to try to grasp many concepts from zen (often likened to grabbing clouds), and psychological phenomena like cognitive dissonance.  I've been exposed to thoughts, ideas, and concepts that I didn't give any consideration to before training (including many practical concepts concerning group dynamics, etc).  In addition, I've become much more introspective and honest about what I see when I look in the mirror (the good and the bad); more accepting about some things and more determined to change others. 

I don't think everyone's journey does (or needs to) follow the same pattern, but I suspect this is a fairly common one in martial arts training.


----------



## Nolerama (Feb 24, 2009)

Nomad said:


> I don't think everyone's journey does (or needs to) follow the same pattern, but I suspect this is a fairly common one in martial arts training.



I've taken on the concept that the MAs are a journey; just like life. If you're open to experience, then you will find something spiritual out of it. Information and learning come with the journey.


----------



## JBrainard (Feb 24, 2009)

girlbug2 said:


> Martial artists IMO should never resemble such stereotypes. Martial arts is about the body, the mind _and_ the spirit. I doubt anybody can practice their MA solely with the body, but must also engage the mind and hopefully the spirit. With that being said, I am interested in hearing from the forum about how your martial art has made you a more balanced person...IF it has helped you to become more balanced, or if you feel there may be something lacking in your training.
> 
> Also, do you see martial arts helping to balance other people that you train with? Do you feel that the higher level martial artists that you know are more evolved physically, mentally, and/or spiritually than the average person? Or is all this mind/body/spirit thing a crock, used to sell us something?


 
I would definitely say that the martial arts are about the mind _and_ body, but not nesesarily about the spirit. The martial arts have certainly effected my behavior and my personal ethics, but It hasn't really entered into the realm of the "spiritual." If the martial arts help you find your spiritual path, more power to you. Me, it was a different kind of journey that has shaped my spirituality, if you could call it that. And my beliefs continue to change; the more I study, the more I discover. At least _that_ is the same when speaking of martial arts and spiritual practice.


----------



## rhn_kenpo (Feb 24, 2009)

I've found MA training to be incredibly fun and challenging, and in that sense have gained substantial mental and physical benefits.  The fact that MA requires *both* mental and physical sharpness is one of the things that I enjoy most.  But the spiritual aspect of my life is focused on where I worship and how I go about daily life.  There is no unique spiritual connection to MA training for me, although I'm open to the possibility of MA as a tool to achieve spiritual goals at some point in the future.


----------



## Marginal (Mar 3, 2009)

girlbug2 said:


> Martial artists IMO should never resemble such stereotypes. Martial arts is about the body, the mind _and_ the spirit. I doubt anybody can practice their MA solely with the body, but must also engage the mind and hopefully the spirit. With that being said, I am interested in hearing from the forum about how your martial art has made you a more balanced person...IF it has helped you to become more balanced, or if you feel there may be something lacking in your training.


It made me physically more balanced. I definitely fall on the nerdy side of the scale. I lost a lot of weight when I started and now I do a ton of stuff just to keep in shape so I don't gas out during sparring class and so on. 

Mentally, I don't know. There's more than one way to hit upon the mental states that are often talked about. (Just get into a zone while playing Tetris. Similar phenomena.) It's more a product of practice and confidence in a given area. I haven't seen much evidence to demonstrate that engaging in those mental states does anything to inprove one's personality. 



> Also, do you see martial arts helping to balance other people that you train with? Do you feel that the higher level martial artists that you know are more evolved physically, mentally, and/or spiritually than the average person? Or is all this mind/body/spirit thing a crock, used to sell us something?


I think they're all still just people. I know a lot of the ones I know personally tend to be good people, but they're still people. None of them are going to be constructing giant pyramids with telekinesis any time soon.


----------



## Nomad (Mar 3, 2009)

Marginal said:


> I haven't seen much evidence to demonstrate that engaging in those mental states does anything to inprove one's personality.


 
It depends what you're talking about here.  If you're talking about neat concepts like zanshin and mushin (similar to focus and "the zone" but not, IMO, identical), then I agree.  If you're talking about the mental states required to set training goals and undergo frequent self-examinations of where you stand in relation to those goals, and to undergo introspection on other parts of your life... well, this is rarely if ever a bad thing, IMO.




Marginal said:


> None of them are going to be constructing giant pyramids with telekinesis any time soon.


 
Funny you should mention this.  I thought I was keeping that side project in my backyard under wraps until it was finished.  WHO TOLD YOU?


----------

