Are You Centered?

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”  —Dalai Lama XIV

“Wow, You know Taekwondo? Have you ever had to use it?”

I get this question whenever someone finds out I am a professional Martial Artist.

MY BELIEF: the ultimate purpose of every responsible Martial Artist is to avoid or reduce violence.

Taekwondo training includes punches, blocks, kicks, and offensive and defensive exercises, called forms, used in self-defense. Martial Arts training also focuses on good decision making; when to fight and when to avoid a fight.

A friend told me this story about his son who was small for his age and learning Martial Arts. His son was being bullied one day and calmly looked the bully in the eye and said, “Please stop bothering me, I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want to get in trouble.”

The bully laughed and continued his bullying. Once again the young boy said, “Please stop bothering me, I know karate and I don’t want to hurt you.”

The bully lunged at the boy who quickly took the bully down...all in front of several teachers who had gathered and watched the incident unfurl. The teachers praised the boy and my friend was proud of his son for standing up for himself, which was the primary reason for sending his son to learn Martial Arts.  

MY BELIEF: This 7 year old boy was calm centered; he was in balance mentally and physically. He considered his options, was confident in his skills, was mentally and physically prepared for a fight and used his words to try to avoid this confrontation. He must have had a great teacher.

Living a centered-life means you are in balance with everything around you. You can be centered at school, in your job, while driving your car or riding a bicycle, and at any time in your life. You are stronger when you are centered. You are more confident when you are centered. You are at your best when you are centered.

Are you centered?

Look for my weekly blog every Monday providing insights on "Living a Black Belt Life" and please share this with your friends and family.

Note: In some Martial Arts centering is the action of putting all your attention on your physical center of mass, a physical point in your abdomen about an inch or two beneath your belly button. This mental focusing centers and balances your body, preparing your body for action.

And in meditation we focus our breathing on our center. Some call this “belly breathing” vs. chest breathing. This is an excellent relaxation technique.