New Year’s resolution: I resolve to develop more focus through meditation

It’s that time of year again where we are all making resolutions that we are going to work on some changes in our lives that are sure to make us a better person. Most resolutions get broken within the first month because we have not the discipline or willpower to make it successful. We should all just understand that to make a resolution is to make changes in your life that have to happen in order for the resolution to even have a chance of becoming a success. No resolution is made without changing your life.

If you are a practicing martial artist in the Abilene, Texas area that you have so many resolutions that you could make. Here is one that is both noble and doable and will have a tremendously positive effect on your life and possibly even those around you.

“I resolve to develop more focus through meditation”. In the martial arts , you have to have focus, when you first start out you will see quickly that this is something that you have to work on because you are not able to hit your target as well as you want. The focus is needed for many reasons in the martial arts ; number one if you cannot focus then you simply cannot learn a technique the correct way.

Doing a technique wrong can affect you and others in the dojo. The focus is also needed if you want to learn breaking techniques, without proper focus you might break your hand or foot instead of a board or brick. On the street, if ever a time should arise where you might need to defend yourself or others lack of focus could get someone killed. And if you want to ever win in a tournament then you definitely should develop your focus to the highest standard it can become.

Using meditation to develop a focus in the martial arts is not a new tactic; it is as old as the art itself. And yes it does work; in fact, this is the best way to develop your focus. There are many types of meditation that you can learn in our dojos around the Abilene area. But there is one that I have used for many years and it has some of the oldest history around when it comes to meditation .

It is called “Mindfulness of breathing meditation ”. This meditation is a great tool for developing your focus because it teaches you to focus on nothing but your breath in meditation. Once you can train your mind to focus on just one thing, such as your breath, then you can use this new discipline to focus on anything your heart desires.

If you said well this can also help you in everyday life then give yourself a pat on the back. Here in the Abilene area, we are fortunate enough to have some of the best martial arts schools around. We have Team Chip, we have AMAC and we even have an aikido class that meets at the YMCA often. Now since I have not yet visited all these schools I cannot tell you what ones teach this meditation technique and which do not.

However, I can tell you that the Abilene Martial Arts Center, where Kuk Sool Won is taught, does, in fact, teach this technique as well as some other meditations. Now if you would like to practice this technique to make your New Year’s resolution a success just follow these steps:

-Sit Indian style, lotus, half lotus or kneeling on your knees whichever is most comfortable for you.
-Close your eyes and allow your hands to rest on your thighs without the weight on them pulling down on your shoulders. They can touch or be separate. The tongue should be resting lightly at the roof of your mouth just behind your top teeth, the back is erect and straight but not tense, shoulders are relaxed. Tuck your chin in slightly. This is the correct meditation position.-Now start to focus your attention on nothing but your breathing. When you breathe in you can think, “I am breathing in”. When you breathe out you can think, “I am breathing out”. When other thoughts come into your mind simple acknowledge them for a split second and then go back to focusing on your breath. After a time this will get much easier, at first it will be hard.
-Sit in this position, focusing only on the breath for as long as you can, each time try and extend your time. It’s a good idea to start easy; somewhere around 10 minutes is a good place to start. If you cannot do it that long try 5 then move up slowly. Over time this will build your focus to incredible strengths.