keiko

Sometimes getting to the Dojo is a real pain. Sometimes I don’t feel like training or even just facing other Human beings and I wonder Why do I bother?

However in Martial Arts or I think in any subject that requires dedication and persistence it is necessary to continue to practice even when you might not feel like it. Perhaps even more so. Although you may not want to train at the start of a class, if you can relax and focus usually it should be possible to be in a better state of mind by the end. The times when I didn’t feel like training for whatever reason, is when I can the most out of it. You can notice different things depending on your state of mind. Whether happy or sad, hyper or sedate, you can learn something.

People train for their own reasons and that’s fine by me. For some, coming to the Dojo is a release, a break from the rest of their lives, and when life is chaotic, Budo can be a consistency. For these people its partly therapeutic. After a few years of practice though the intention can change. Training can be as much as a part of daily routine as having breakfast in the morning. And if there is a deep desire to understand the art then endurance comes into it. To learn a subject deeply you need to study as often as life will allow.

Especially at Seminars , I’d sometimes feel like my brain could explode. Exhausted and unable to absorb any more information into my head, the body can take over and I can truly start to learn. Training is its own reward.

I myself have a very messy routine. Between working nights, getting kids up, to school, home again and training. It requires a lot just to stay in some kind of coherent mental state. So Budo has became more important to me, the longer I practice. This September I will have been training for 10 years, and many things have changed in my life in that time. Mostly for the better. Although when life is less manageable, going to the Dojo has help me greatly. So that’s why I bother..