Martial arts often conjures images of sweat-soaked mats, flying kicks, and the fierce discipline honed through rigorous training. Yet, the true legacy of this ancient practice lies far beyond the dojo. Its philosophy infiltrates the fabric of our everyday lives, weaving threads of patience, unwavering discipline, healthy boundaries, and profound self-discovery into the tapestry of our being.
Martial arts teaches us that mastery in anything is a slow burn, an accumulation of countless repetitions. Every technique perfected, demands meticulous practice. This translates into a newfound patience in our daily lives for the mundane and/or irritating.
We learn to embrace the incremental progress, to find solace in the journey rather than fixating solely on the destination. Faced with a challenging task at work or a frustrating personal hurdle, the lessons of the dojo remind us to breathe, persevere, and trust the process, for true results blossom with time and dedication.
The martial arts philosophy isn’t about rigid dogma; it’s about self-mastery. We learn to set internal boundaries, to push ourselves beyond comfort zones, but also to recognize the limits of our bodies and minds.
This cultivated discipline spills over into everyday life, guiding us in making conscious choices, prioritizing tasks, and resisting impulsive distractions. Whether it’s sticking to a workout routine, writing every day, or saying no to unreasonable demands, the dojo becomes a training ground for building the willpower to navigate life’s challenges with focus and integrity.
Martial arts teaches us the delicate dance of engagement and retreat. We learn to respect our opponents, but also to protect ourselves from harm. This translates into setting healthy boundaries in our daily lives in a multitude of categories.
We learn to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy relationships, to listen to and voice our needs and expectations clearly, and to walk away from situations that compromise our well-being. The dojo becomes a safe space to practice saying no, to prioritize self-respect, and to build an unwavering sense of personal sovereignty.
Beyond the physical techniques, martial arts offers a profound journey of self-discovery. As we push our limits, confront our fears, and navigate moments of vulnerability, we come face-to-face with the depths of our being. We discover previously untapped reserves of strength, uncover unexpected weaknesses, and witness the resilience of our spirit.
This ongoing exploration transforms the dojo into a mirror, reflecting our true selves with unfiltered clarity. Armed with this self-knowledge, we navigate the world with greater confidence, empowered to be the authors of our own narratives.
Thus, the martial arts philosophy transcends the confines of the dojo. It’s a way of life, a daily practice that shapes our interactions with the world around us.
From the quiet lessons of patience to the fierce strength of discipline, from the wisdom of setting boundaries to the transformative power of self-discovery, the martial arts spirit equips us to face life’s challenges with grace, strength, and a newfound awareness of who we truly are.
So, step onto the mat, not just to master techniques, but to embark on a lifelong journey of self-improvement, a journey whose lessons resonate far beyond the echoes of the final gong.
Beginning –
Martial arts has a variety of benefits that extend outside of the physical fitness and self defense.
Bullying is discussed in regards to both the school system and in the dojo.
All kids need different things to thrive. “The same boiling water that softens the potato, hardens the egg”
12:00 –
How martial arts helps to develop the understanding of boundaries.
Boundaries around discipline. Discipline is how you get good at anything. Sticking it out and allowing yourself the time and space to grow into whatever role in question.
We get bored with the small daily mundane things that compound into eventually meeting your goals. We’re told to do this one small thing 800 times and we don’t feel as though we’re getting anything out of it and then one day something clicks and you realize you’ve leveled up into something different.
This translates across our lives, just as the martial artist has to do the same kick 3,000x to master it, so do we have to show up to all categories of our lives that many times to truly get what we want out of it.
A 1% change every day is a 365% change in a year. “More if you compound that interest.” In the beginning it looks like you’re not evening moving. Most often, we notice benefits in hindsight of what we’ve been doing.
17:45 –
Yoga and martial arts have a lot of cross factors. They both teach us lessons we can take out of the studio. For example, if you can allow yourself to sit in a stretch or pose you hate for several minutes, or do 300 kicks in a row, it makes other things in life easier to handle. Suddenly, waiting in lines hurts less. Having patience at work or in traffic is easier.
We tend to over estimate what we can do in a year and under estimate what we can do in 5, 10, 20 years. The average timeframe for a successful anything is 10 years.
Martial arts gives us a means to get in touch with ourselves and our limits. It allows us to learn our boundaries, our bodies and what we’re capable of while giving us an outlet for anger and aggression.
25:45 –
Movement and wrestling is instinctual and we’re taught to suppress it in schools as children. We mask this urge with food, video games or other things until we become adults who then don’t know how to get back in touch with it.
Just as animal cubs wrestle to build bonds, explore their own limits and establish an understanding of who one another is, we also need these tools.
Physical movement and exercise helps our mental health by getting us out of our own heads and into our bodies. Most of the problems we have in our lives are created in our own heads and not even real.
30:50 –
Healthy competition helps you to push yourself to the next level of growth. There is definitely competition out there that is unhealthy and gets taken too far.
How you do anything is how you do everything. There are no shortcuts. You have to work for what you want. Often we spend too much time looking for shortcuts where there are none when we could have spent that time making progress.
You can’t get clean enough to never have to take a shower ever again. There’s no meal you can make to never have to eat again. Some things just have to be done over and over.
Some people torture themselves in a cold shower for the sake of the benefits. Others torture themselves with learning to cook for the sake of the benefits. You have to decide what you want, what benefits you’re looking for and start. There’s probably going to be a certain amount of torture to it.
36:15 –
There’s a huge overlap with people who are into martial arts having their own business. It teaches you the discipline you need to do the things that aren’t fun or comfortable that get you the results in the end.
There are no secrets. There’s really only 10-20 basics to anything you want to do once you get in there and figure it out. Mastering those basics is all you have to do to succeed. There’s always a deeper level to the basics you think you already understand.
You have to figure out where your lane is and what seemingly mundane and boring tasks you’re happy to do every single day to build your own success in what it is you want to do/have/be.
You may have to try a few martial arts forms out before you find the one that’s for you. Tailor it to fit you, your body and your schedule. It is an art form which means it’s malleable.
About Our Guest:
Jeremy Lesniak is a lifelong martial artist, with black belts in karate, taekwondo, and Superfoot Kickboxing. Having started very young, his 40+ years of training includes schools all over New England, in a variety of styles. He is also the author of several martial art books as well as the founder of the martial arts lifestyle brand Whistlekick. Through his work with Whistlekick over the past decade, he has taught seminars all over the US, connecting with martial artists of all styles, both in-person and as host of the top-rated podcast, Martial Arts Radio.
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Your Host
S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water
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