MEDITATION AND BREATHING TECHNIQUE
Simple or complex breathing technique etc., all of them work effectively when practiced regularly. When applied to martial art they require careful thought. The ancient sages, monks and martial art practitioners were renowned for their use of various breathing techniques. However, to some one just starting out it can seem confusing and complex.
In any form of martial arts its very essential to start your practice with meditation and few breathing exercises. Both can do wonders for calming and stilling the mind. Firstly study your mental and physical state. Do you feel weak or have pains in your body ?
Are you worried or agitated ? Study the quality of your breath. Do you find difficulty in inhaling or exhaling ? Is your breath, deep or shallow ? Taking deep breaths can calm an agitated mind and also energize a tired mind.
The simplest of all breathing techniques is, calmly taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out. Avoid forcing anything. If you have any health related problems you don't practise untill you get a proper medical advice.
When you meditate you should be in a comfortable position. You can sit on a chair or cross-legged. To begin with, keep your mind focused on your breath and very calmly try counting your breath, you count backward, starting at sixty. 4-5 mins can do wonders. Practising these two exercises for a few mins regularly over a course of several days will give you a first hand experience of meditation and the breath. After several days of pratcise you can start practise of some more complex breathing techniques and also meditate for longer period of time.
Keep in mind that this is only the first hand experience and with more practice under the guidance of an instructor, you will have much more satisfying experiences.
Nowadays, many martial arts school teaching different matial arts style are including Zen meditation in their regular teaching and they are receiving a very positive response.
