Meditation

[Kong]

Do you meditate in the dojang?
If so, do you use any spesific methods (zazen, taoist breathing methods, qigong etc.) or do you just "unwind" a bit at the end of the class?
Do you feel the meditation aspect of ma training is being neglected, or downplayed in TKD compared to other trad. arts like Karate and Chinese arts?

 

[Marginal]

I have a small basis of comparison, but in TKD, the way we start and end class has meditation going on at the beginning and the end before we bow in and out. It's not very long.

In Shudokan, we meditated infrequently, but for longer periods complete with repeating phrases etc. I've never really gotten any great gains from meditation either way though.

I have a way easier time reaching the same "ideal" state just by way of playing video games. Generating alpha waves like there's no tomorrow during a game of SF2.

 

[Kong]

This is almost the same as at my school, only we usually just meditate at the end of the class (often it`s more like the whole class trying to get their breath back from the work out rather than serene meditation lol)
I used to train some Karate when I was younger, and there would be much more emphasis on meditation. We would meditate before and after class and for a longer duration of time than we usually do in my TKD class.
I think it`s a good thing, it helps set your mind right and focus on the task at hand before training, and provides a nice cooling down after training.

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Originally posted by Marginal

I have a small basis of comparison, but in TKD, the way we start and end class has meditation going on at the beginning and the end before we bow in and out. It's not very long.

The situation at our dojang is quite similar, we do just a few moments of meditation prior to bowing out and ending the class. It doesn't do too much for me because I'm usually still pretty pumped and amped up from the just completed training. Maybe if we spent more time on the meditation portion I might be able to unwind more... :idunno: