Martial Arts and Connectedness

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Martial Arts and Connectedness,Training both your mind and your body

By Quinn V. McMurtry

Do you feel connected, at peace, in touch with whom or what you are? Our

modern world boasts being connected by technological advances. Our medical

sciences promise cures, surgical procedures and promote pharmacology to an

almost unquestioned authority. But, if you still your mind for a moment, what

does the voice inside you say? Listening to your inner voice can be done in a

variety of ways, but the martial arts can train your mind, body and spirit.

The Unconscious Mind

In our postmodern world the conscious mind is a tyrant. The conscious mind

charts, graphs, analyzes and attempts to control every aspect of the modern

world, while at the same time stunting and neglecting our unconscious mind.

According Carl Jung, the mind is divided into the two halves the unconscious


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and the conscious. The conscious mind is what you are using now. The

conscious mind is the ego; it thinks and plans all that is said and done in the

realm of consciousness. The unconscious mind is more intangible, composed of

layers ranging from subconscious memories to a larger, more primitive and

mystical collective unconscious.

Uniquely human, the unconscious is an ephemeral labyrinth of moods, feelings

and instincts. Within the unconscious is retained our experiences, thoughts,

feelings, impressions, quirks, nuances and memories that may or may not be

consciously remembered. The unconscious is where individuals connect to a

more ancient and greater reality called the - collective unconscious. It is from

within the collective unconscious that people are innately compelled to seek a

higher meaning and search for spirituality.


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However, in the modern worlds rush to self-exultation, we further disconnect

ourselves from our innately spiritual and intuitive unconscious mind, choosing to

focus only on the analytical world of our conscious mind.

Jungs Unconscious Mind

Our greatest modern day psychologist was not Sigmund Freud it wasCarl Jung.

To this day Jungian concepts enrich and provide insight into our modern day

world with terms such as introvert, extrovert and archetypical figure. Jung

stated that the unconscious is the great guide and advisor to the conscious

mind. In his groundbreaking book Man and His Symbols, Carl Jung assesses

and theorizes the relationship between the unconscious mind and the modern

world. He states:

Man . . . never perceives anything fully or comprehends anything

completely. He can see, hear, touch, and taste; but how far he sees, how

well he hears, what his touch tells him, and what he tastes depend upon

the number and quality of his senses. These limit his perception of the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Junghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Junghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung


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world around him (page 4). For the sake of mental stability and even

physiological health, the unconscious and the conscious must be integrally

connected and thus move on parallel lines. If they are split apart or

"dissociated", psychological disturbance follows (page 37).

Simply put, the modern world is destructive to our unconscious mind, eventually

leading us to be disconnected, egoistical and lacking spirituality. It is only

through a greater understanding of the unconscious that the modern world will

return to balance. As we better understand our complete selves, we become more

connected, less egotistical and more spiritual. And it is through the martial arts

that understanding and practice form a flowing connection to the conscious and

the unconscious.

Life, Death and the Martial Arts

Contemplating death leads to spirituality. To live fully, death must be embraced.

A Samurai warrior would live and train his entire life to embrace and accept


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death willingly. Fear of death is the greatest obstacle to becoming a true master

of a martial art. The ancient samurai manual, The Hagakure states:

The Way of the Samurai is found in death. Meditation on inevitable

death should be performed daily. Every day, when one's body and mind

are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows,

rifles, spears, and swords, being carried away by surging waves, being

thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being

shaken to death by a great earthquake, falling from thousand-foot cliffs,

dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of one's master. And

every day, without fail, one should consider himself as dead. This is the

substance of the Way of the Samurai.

The martial arts are lessons for dying. A fencers sabre is not intended to merely

cut an opponent, nor is black belts chokehold meant to only wound. The entire

process of all martial arts is to train the mind and body to defend and execute the

inevitable death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagakurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagakure


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Although inevitably we all confront death, to fully embrace dying is something

the western world scientifically avoids and spiritually fears. Unconsciously, we

are aware of death, but we consciously ignore it. Our modern day conscious

world of consumerism and ego ignores death, believing dying to be only for the

dead. However, is it not ironic that race car drivers, mountain climbers and

skydivers who tempt death report enjoying life more acutely?

Could it be that our unconscious mind agrees with the martial artist? Death and

living should be embraced. According to Jung, the collective unconscious

provides a connection a life cycle, providing spiritual symbols and an innate

knowledge of living and dying in a more connected state of existence just like

the ancient Samurai.

Listen to Instincts

Listen to your gut. Follow your heart. Follow your bliss, these are phrases

that we all know, but more than likely fail to do. The rational conscious mind

commandeers the instincts of our unconscious further stunting and impeding the

connection to the mind and body. According Jung, Primitive man was much

more governed by his instincts than are his "rational" modern descendants, who

have learned to "control" themselves.

Today, the more rational and modern mind fails to properly listen to the

primitive unconscious. Now out of balance, our modern minds and western

methods are intolerant of mysticism, spirituality and intuition.


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Conversely, as if following an ancient manual, traditional martial arts endeavor to

consciously adapt the physical to the unconscious. Through continual repetition

and practice, such as sparring, body movements become consciously studied and

engrained into the unconscious. Physical reactions associated with flight or fight

are adapted and manipulated to connect the mind and body, thereby adapting to

the conscious mind an unconscious instinct or reaction.

Other forms of martial arts interpret and reshape energy flow and nature, while

other arts mimic animal postures. Regardless of form or method, the martial

artist exercises connections to the unconscious, and although it may sound overly

mystical, it is said that the higher the level of perfection a martial artist achieves,

the closer he or she bridges the distance between heaven and earth.

A Collective Wisdom

Theoretically similar to Jungs collective unconscious of pre- existing forms and

archetypes, the martial artist applies physical and meditative training to enable

one to connect to centuries old collective wisdom found in Kung Fu, Jiu-jitsu and

Karate.


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Although there are many varieties of martial arts, all forms of martial arts

collectively evolved by accumulating centuries of knowledge and wisdom. From

master to student, this knowledge was shaped, individually mastered and

applied. By practicing a collective art, the martial artist connects to a greater and

more ancient body of unconscious wisdom.

Flowing

It is said that the body has its own mystical level of engagement with the

unconsciousness. It is only through the body that we are able to connect more

profoundly to an unconscious reality. Author and psychologist, Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyi, refers to this psychological state as flow. Flow is defined as a

mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a

feeling of energized focus towards full involvement and success in the process of

the activity.

Flow can be achieved with a variety of physical activities such as sewing,

throwing, running, working, farming, meditating and practicing the martial arts.

However, the mental state of flow is something rarely experienced in the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi


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modern world. Analytically and consciously motivated, modern man becomes

detached and untethered from the unconscious mind and achieving flow

becomes extremely rare. Those who typically experience a state of flow are said

to be in the moment. In our modern world a state of flow is typically only

experienced by athletes, artists, performers and martial artists.

Yin-yang and the Martial Arts

Carl Jung states that our scientific understanding has grown, so our world has

become dehumanized. Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos, because he is no

longer involved with nature and has lost his emotional "unconscious identity. p.

85. Another way to understand what Jung theorizes is through the ancient Yin

and Yang symbol.

Often misunderstood as good versus evil or simply a bright and dark symbol, the

Yin and Yang is profoundly connected to the mind and body existing

harmoniously.

Yang, represented by the white in the yin-yang symbol, which symbolize

the creative, while yin, represented by black, is dissolution and return (to

creation). The yin and yang forces are cyclical and evolving into each

other, represented by the white dot on the black yin side of the symbol,

and by the black dot on the white yang side. In this view, the universe

depends on the interaction between these two forces. The way to be

content is to balance between these two forces and thus find harmony in


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the Tao. If the yin-yang forces in the body get unbalanced, then illness

results.

The martial arts affirm and apply the duality of the yin-yang principle. Focused

on finding a balance, both physical and mental, the martial artist hopes to attain

a more enlightened embodiment found in systematically training the mind and

body and balancing the duality of the conscious and unconscious mind.

Martial Arts in our Postmodern World

If you learn one thing from this article, I hope that you have a better

understanding of how important the unconscious can be to your life. Obviously

the martial arts are not for everyone but the unconscious mind is and forever will

be a part of who and what we are.

However, if you do choose to begin studying and practicing the martial arts, your

life will gradually change and your unconscious mind will achieve balance. Here

is one word of warning. Know that the martial arts are under assault, high-

jacked by a type of blood lust and marketed for corporate profits. The martial arts

have been, in a sense, split into halves one, the spiritual unconscious is ignored

and discarded, while, from the other half, the conscious, technical movements are

used to promote brutality. Popular sports organizations, such as the UFC,

(Ultimate Fighting Challenge) seek only lethal knowledge, ignoring the

unconscious and spiritual connection that embodies traditional martial arts. So,

when choosing a martial art or a school of instruction be careful and look for a

master that contemplates the unconscious mind and seeks a connection to it.

Martial Arts and Connectedness

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