The pursuit of martial arts encompasses more than physical prowess and mastery.
Mindfulness, meditation, and reading offer additional routes to help your journey.
Mindfulness, meditation, and reading offer additional routes to help your journey.
Fascinating video concerning Okinawan Karate from NHK World:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVOL02Ea958&t=197s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVOL02Ea958&t=197s
The Unfettered Mind by Takuan Soho (translated by William Scott Wilson)
"Takuan was a giant in the history of Zen; he was also a gardener, calligrapher, poet, author, adviser to samurai and shoguns, and a pivotal figure in Zen painting. He was known for his brilliance and acerbic wit. In these succinct and pointed essays, Takuan is concerned primarily with understanding and refining the mind—both generally and when faced with conflict. The Unfettered Mind was a major influence on the classic manifestos on swordsmanship that came after it, including Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings and Yagyu Munenori’s Life-Giving Sword."
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/217267/the-unfettered-mind-by-takuan-soho-translated-by-william-scott-wilson/
"Takuan was a giant in the history of Zen; he was also a gardener, calligrapher, poet, author, adviser to samurai and shoguns, and a pivotal figure in Zen painting. He was known for his brilliance and acerbic wit. In these succinct and pointed essays, Takuan is concerned primarily with understanding and refining the mind—both generally and when faced with conflict. The Unfettered Mind was a major influence on the classic manifestos on swordsmanship that came after it, including Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings and Yagyu Munenori’s Life-Giving Sword."
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/217267/the-unfettered-mind-by-takuan-soho-translated-by-william-scott-wilson/
Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat translated with commentary by Patrick McCarthy
Simply put, martial arts are a very physical and mental exercise. McCarthy offers an English translation of what is thought out as a "bible of karate". While some items within this tome will not necessarily be as applicable. it offers a worthwhile guide to those seeking to broaden their knowledge of karate.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25986978-bubishi?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PA9MYzYaNN&rank=3
Simply put, martial arts are a very physical and mental exercise. McCarthy offers an English translation of what is thought out as a "bible of karate". While some items within this tome will not necessarily be as applicable. it offers a worthwhile guide to those seeking to broaden their knowledge of karate.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25986978-bubishi?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PA9MYzYaNN&rank=3
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD with Bill Gifford
Excellent and easy-to-read guide on helping live a longer life with a higher quality of life even in the later years of life. Dr. Attia has a holistic approach to his ideas on longevity: food intake, exercise, mental health, and more all play in a role in a longer, more healthy life.
From a martial art perspective, this book offers keen advice on how to better your overall health - exercise, eating well, and focusing on your mental health are all vital to bettering your martial art path.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61153739-outlive
Excellent and easy-to-read guide on helping live a longer life with a higher quality of life even in the later years of life. Dr. Attia has a holistic approach to his ideas on longevity: food intake, exercise, mental health, and more all play in a role in a longer, more healthy life.
From a martial art perspective, this book offers keen advice on how to better your overall health - exercise, eating well, and focusing on your mental health are all vital to bettering your martial art path.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61153739-outlive
How to Live or a Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell
Bakewell's monograph about Montaigne offers a unique vision of the stateman's influence since the 16th Century. Montaigne's essays offer a wealth of information, and Bakewell breaks down his work about "How to Live". (I would have pushed the title a little further, though: "How to Live Well".)
We get to view ideas about paying attention, not worrying about death, surviving love and loss, waking from the sleep of habit, and reflect on everything while regretting nothing.
From a martial art perspective, this book offers thoughts on how to deal with issues outside of the dojo. Things that could burden us mentally while in the dojo itself.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624457-how-to-live?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=GYrbA6kCkV&rank=4
Bakewell's monograph about Montaigne offers a unique vision of the stateman's influence since the 16th Century. Montaigne's essays offer a wealth of information, and Bakewell breaks down his work about "How to Live". (I would have pushed the title a little further, though: "How to Live Well".)
We get to view ideas about paying attention, not worrying about death, surviving love and loss, waking from the sleep of habit, and reflect on everything while regretting nothing.
From a martial art perspective, this book offers thoughts on how to deal with issues outside of the dojo. Things that could burden us mentally while in the dojo itself.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624457-how-to-live?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=GYrbA6kCkV&rank=4