On your first day of martial art class, you know nothing.  You cannot hide that you know nothing. Everyone there knows that you no nothing. You worry about knowing nothing.

It is probably not the most confident day in your life.  You might be excited to be there, but confident? It is difficult to be confident when you are in unknown territory.

The good news is that your first day is the beginning of your path to the most amazing journey that will eventually connect you with your own personal sense of physical, mental, and spiritual confidence.

My first martial art class felt crazy! Black belts were practicing jump kicks. Another group was breaking boards. My first thought was “No, I cannot do that,”  which was my lack of confidence speaking.

However, I did not give up.  I returned and in time, I learned more about myself than I ever expected. When you have a clear opportunity for self-improvement, your confidence will unfold.

On day one, you cannot achieve balance, but miraculously the next time you apply what you learned and stand on one foot, extending a kick without much effort. One day you hurt your foot kicking the bag, the next you feel the comfort and mobility of a solid kick against the bag’s surface because you learned the proper form.

These are very small but important steps to improvement. Like learning a new language, you know when something clicks in your mind and feels right. The mental “language” of martial arts takes a while to learn, just like any language. It will happen.

The physical skills develop before the mental skills and they all translate into real life. Take the use of breath, for example.  In your physical practice, you recognize your breathing patterns and when and how they assist you. I use many quick breaths in certain situations for the endurance I need, or slow-paced breathing to relax through a stretch. This is the application of breath to the martial art practice.

These approaches to martial art physical development become quite mind-boggling!  I used the same martial art breathing patterns during natural childbirth for three of my children to overcome the pain of childbirth. I use breathing principles to relax when I am stressed out and need to re-group. I listen to my breath when I need to be more mindful, appreciative, and content in the moment.  I am physically and mentally devoted to my breathing, which brings me peace of mind, acceptance, and confidence.

I have a place, my martial art mindset, where I can turn when times get tough, when I am scared or unsure, or when I need to remind myself of the positive attributes of my life.  I can practice the physical and the mental aspects to relieve the burdens that weigh on my mind to cultivate a positive approach to life. Mental and physical confidence work hand in hand to make me a better martial artist and a better person.

Spiritual confidence also exists in martial art practice.  This aspect of confidence is very personal.  While others can see your confidence and even witness your mental intensity, the spiritual is hidden deeper.

What is a spirituality?  One common definition is that it centers on the deepest values and meanings by which an individual lives. If a martial art is just physical, or even a combination of physical and mental, it may still lack spirituality. Those who wish to attain the spirituality of martial arts seek a better understanding of who they are and their place in the world.

Martial art spirituality does not have to be a replacement for a religious philosophy. It can have a spiritual component of its own.  Often I write stories of how I overcame certain situations using a “martial art mindset.” In reality, this mindset is simply a spiritual concept that allows me to believe there is a guiding force outside of myself that pushes me through.  It does not replace my religious beliefs, but enhances them.

I think of martial art spirituality as a swirling wind that continually flows around my physical and mental practice.  It holds all of the various attributes of my martial art in a sphere and I stand in the center.  Clearly, there is a metaphysical approach to it.

Martial arts develop spirituality because  they push you beyond your boundaries and stretch your imagination.  Somewhere, within that process, you grow spiritually and enhance your life by letting go of some of your self-imposed controls and accept that there may be something greater working in your favor.  It is not a component every martial artist accepts or feels, but for those that do, it makes a great impact on their perspective.

Martial arts are often equated with the phrase, “mind, body, and spirit” because they allow an individual to explore all three.  I may not be able to physically practice my martial art every day, but I can practice it mentally and spiritually without the need for floor space, changing into a uniform, or any significant commitment of time.  I cannot explain how you can find your own spiritual confidence, other than to say that you should be open to listening and exploring this dimension of your practice.

Continue to grow your physical, mental, and spiritual confidence.  Mature into the great martial artist you are meant to be.  White belt or black, you have a long way to go. There is no such thing as knowing “everything.”  The difference for me is that I have had a journey that allowed me to develop my physical, mental, and spiritual side.

That first day of class way back when represented the truth all along.  In the beginning and in the end, I still know nothing and in many respects that is much better than knowing everything.

xoxo

Andrea

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