Imagine two people, each practicing the same martial art for ten years. One person has done so to make his body stronger or impress others, while the other practices to align their mind with God’s will and thus improve who they are spiritual. Who is more likely to walk away with increased self-confidence?
It’s not a trick question. Those who practice spirituality tend to report perceptions of enhanced well-being, which is associated with both improved health and increased life satisfaction. This happens because the act of “aligning our minds with God’s will” helps cultivate positive mental states. The same goes for other types of spirituality, like one’s sense of connection to nature or even just human relationships.
The interesting part is that this isn’t true for everyone—it only applies to people already predisposed to spirituality. If you are one of these people, spirituality is likely to offer direct benefits that other forms of self-development may not be able to provide.
For martial arts students, it’s no different. When we train our bodies—and this isn’t just about the physical aspect of martial arts practice—we often become more in tune with ourselves and the world around us. While we may not feel that we’re becoming more spiritual, our minds and bodies become healthier, and we learn to overcome some of our weaknesses just through practice.
If you already engage in the form of spirituality—and especially if you participate in martial arts training—you can expect to enjoy additional benefits from your preferred hobby. If you’re not particularly spiritual but willing to give it a try, you’ll likely experience improvements whether or not spirituality is your cup of tea. This is just the way of spiritual training.
In addition, when you practice spirituality, your mind becomes healthier; this is because when you align with God’s will, you build positive mental states that can lead to improved health and increased life satisfaction. Martial arts is just like spirituality; it helps us overcome our weaknesses through practice; spirituality is also likely to offer benefits if we are already predisposed towards martial arts.
If you are spiritual, martial arts can offer additional benefits that other types of training may not be able to provide; in the same way, if you are interested in martial arts, spirituality is also likely to offer benefits. This is because practicing one increases your mental well-being.