After 10 Years of Karate, I Learned These 5 Things About Mindfulness

When I was 5 years old, my parents put my brother and me in Goju-Ryu karate.

Translating to?“hard-soft style”, Goju-Ryu originated in Okinawa, Japan. Home to some of the longest-living people in the world.

Karate didn’t teach me how to fight — or even defend myself.

But, it’s provided me with the mental strength, training, and practical skills to balance the hardness and softness of life.

In a world buzzing with stimulation and controversy, here’s how karate helped me look within.

Karate isn't about self-defence.

As a kid, my dad used to say,?“I feel sorry for whoever decides to mess with you at school.”

Being shy, nervous, and never having been in a fight himself, my dad didn’t understand that karate is a philosophy — not a lesson plan.

Famously illustrated in the movie, “The Karate Kid”, Goju-Ryu teaches self-defence indirectly. Through mental training such as?wax-on-wax-off?movements.

Seeing my brother and I break boards, practice crisp form (known as “kata”), and wield a litany of ancient Japanese weapons, he thought we were killing machines waiting to be unleashed on the world.

Well, in the 6th grade someone finally did mess with me.

As it turns out, karate teaches almost every form of self-defence —?except for a good old-fashioned headlock.

At 16, I stopped practicing karate to embark on the rebellious phase of my life.

Looking back, I’m thankful for the 10 years I spent training in karate. Particularly, for 5 habits of mental self-defence and preservation.

#1. The power of stillness

My karate sensei resembled a character out of a?Jean Claude Van Damme?movie. A 6-foot-tall caucasian-Canadian man known as “Sensei Brad” who loved the Japanese culture.

Our karate?dojo?(school) went on annual trips to Okinawa to visit the descendants of the style’s creator, “Chojun Miyagi” and re-connect with the style’s roots.

Translating to “hard-soft style” balance was at the forefront of training.

At the beginning of each class, we’d sit cross-legged on the ground with our eyes closed, focusing on our breath.?There’d be no timer, and Sensei Brad would come around and bonk you on the head if you opened your eyes.

It was a form of meditation — although we didn’t know it at the time.

The point of the exercise was to relax into stillness — into the present moment. Regardless of the sounds outside, around you, or how much time had passed, you learned to embrace stillness.

As an adult, I’m thankful for this skill and am amazed at how many people simply cannot be alone with their thoughts.

#2. Breath training

In almost all forms of martial arts, there are 3 categories:

• Sparring
• Form (kata)
• Weapons training

Through my 10 years of karate, I learned to brandish many traditional?Japanese weapons:?bo staff, kama, nunchaku, sai, and tonfa.

**Fun fact: they were all derived from Japanese farm tools, which farmers used to fight off Samurai.

Every 6 months, we’d compete at the “Battle of the Dojos” in various competitions.

We’d spar with rivalling schools.

Present our?katas (karate dances).

And brandish our weapons training.

One separate event was showcasing one particularly intense kata called “Sanchin”. Translating to “three conflicts”, Sanchin involved deep, intense breathing to connect?mind, body, and technique.

It’s known as the most basic and essential kata in karate, building a strong base both mentally and physically.

Since learning Sanchin, breathing has become an anchor for me.?And a useful tool for life.

#3. An understanding of conflict

I still remember the first car ride to the “Battle of the Dojos”. It was fun, exciting, and nerve-racking.

My dad was confident we would take home the top prize in every event.

I did take home one prize — a participation ribbon.

During my first sparring match I got kicked in the stomach so hard I wanted to cry… so, I did.

This taught me an important lesson about life — it can be cruel.

It also helped me to navigate internal feelings of conflict before stressful situations. Practice makes perfect — and learning to accept loss is essential for earning victory.

Dealing with uncomfortable feelings such as?nerves and anxiety?has become a staple of my life. This helps me try new things, even if they’re scary.

#4. Stoicism

I remember learning the word “stoic” from my mom as she described the look on my face during karate classes.

One of the core principles of our training was to never show emotion, as it could reveal weakness to the enemy. We regularly engaged in blocking drills to build toughness in our arms and legs.

It hurt, we would bruise, but we were to act as if it didn’t.

Although for portions of my life, not showing emotions was a detriment, it built a foundation of mental strength.

It’s easy to fall apart when things don’t go your way, but one of the core philosophies of?stoicism?is emotional resistance. The ability to control your reactions despite strong triggers like fear, anger, and hurt.

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”?―?Epictetus

#5. Empathy & discipline

When you first start in most martial arts, you receive a white belt. At my dojo, even that had to be earned.?It was normally only for the first class, but newcomers would stand out like a sore thumb.

Their karate gis (uniforms) would flap around uncontrollably as they had no belt to secure it — you couldn’t help but feel for them.

The next day, they’d show up with a crisp white belt — this always helped me reflect on my own journey.

From white belt, you progressed through a coloured belt system, ultimately leading to a black belt. Each new belt was based on specific criteria, including:

• Attitude
• Technique
• Work ethic
• Consistency

Never knowing when you’d receive your next belt trained you to stay present. To do the best you can even if no one is watching.

Final thoughts: karate helped me find my Ikigai

Karate is one of the?most popular martial arts?in the world, despite the rise of more practical self-defence methods like MMA, boxing, and wrestling.

Although it taught me very little about actual self-defence, it taught me everything about self-improvement.

It also helped me find my “Ikigai” — my reason for being.

The mindfulness habits karate provided me with undoubtedly contributed to a long journey of introspection,?ultimately helping me discover my true passions in life.

To summarize, karate didn’t teach me how to defend my physical self. But it gave me the tools to preserve my mental self.

読んでくれてありがとう: "Thanks for reading."        

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