Internal Martial Arts (IMA) can be a unique meditative tool that you can use to explore the connection between the mind and the body. The methods employed can be incredibly useful as means for getting to know and cultivating oneself. The nature of meditation in IMA takes the mind into the body which can have relaxing quality and at the same time remains connected to the surrounding environment. In IMA you work to establish a relaxed structure and the process of dissolving tension and relaxing farther into the body can have very meditative qualities.
Using mind body exercises has great meditative benefit and is very relevant to today's busy lifestyle. For the majority of us, our days are filled with busy interactions with other human beings in one way or another. If our meditation practices only pull us further inwards then we will struggle engaging with others. I can avoid this by meditating with my eyes open and relaxed, remaining connected to the world, yet trying to lead my mind far into my body so I can feel the fine connections and subtle movements.
Over the years of training these methods I have personally experienced great benefit from this type of training. Some of the things I've experienced in training Bagua, Xingyi and Qigong are:
- Relaxed and strong structure
- More balanced energy
- Calm mind and emotions
- Clearer thinking
In my classes I have several approaches that I use to teach this meditative quality in practice. First I typically give my students the tools they need to keep their body relaxed and structurally sound. If I can establish a good structure first, then the mind will have less blocks when working it's way in. So one of the meditation practices is the practice of dissolving tension in the body. We do this by relaxing and feeling the areas that the body is holding tension. We want to adjust our structure so that the pressure created by the hold dissolved and we are left with a strong structure. It is key to not just go loose and have no structure when relaxing. If you do, you will not be able to carry power.
Long story short is, there are many different types of meditation and it up to you to find what is the best fit for the result you are seeking. The key is to meditate consciously - not just sit there and zone out until you are disconnected. Meditation is about connecting and refining those connections.
Happy Training!
