If there’s one thing that various martial arts disciplines share, it’s the potential to improve one’s lifestyle. Yes, it’s true that you’re learning to defend yourself, and it’s also true that the techniques and forms are quite rigid. But there are other benefits besides getting into or staying in shape and getting stronger.
Practitioners of aikido, for instance, experience both physical and psychological benefits. Unlike some martial arts that practically require students to start learning early if they want to reach mastery, aikido is flexible and versatile enough that anyone of any age can start learning and therefore experience these benefits.
Better Fitness and Flexibility
In general, aikido is a great way for children to work off excess energy and for adults to become more flexible, and for people of all ages to become stronger and fitter, but not in the way bodybuilders do. The nature of aikido training means that practitioners learn to relax enough that they can move from the center of their bodies and direct power and strength through to different limbs.
This kind of training improves aerobic fitness, joint flexibility, and better body awareness. As joints and connective tissues strengthen, the more flexible you become. And as you stretch and develop the different groups of muscles all over your body, the better your posture becomes, and the less likely you’ll be to complain of aching knees or a bad back. You may still experience the soreness that comes from exercise, but that’s the good kind of soreness.
Physical and Mental Relaxation
Since mind and body are viewed as one in this discipline, the condition of one naturally affects the other. So if one’s body is relaxed, so is one’s mind. This makes it easier for students of aikido to face various day-to-day challenges without panicking or becoming stressed.
This will lead to a healthier lifestyle not just because you end up dealing with less stress, but you’ll also be better equipped and in the right mindset to approach conflict. After all, the more calm and relaxed you are, the easier it will be for you to think of, suggest, or carry out solutions.
More Compassion and Self-Confidence
In aikido, students learn to end conflict in a way that keeps both themselves and the aggressor safe, as much as possible. Rather than face aggression with aggression, aikido practitioners are taught to take the opponent’s force and energy and turn it against them while causing as little damage as possible.
This means students can confidently move out of the way of any attack – even verbal and emotional ones – and redirect it. In this sense, compassion is about creating peace where there currently isn’t any. In addition, since aikido helps you become more aware of your body, you’re also more aware of your own capabilities. When you’re certain of what you know and what you can do, the more confident you are in everyday life.
As you can see, aikido training is a good way to improve many areas of one’s life at the same time, making it a great choice for corporate training courses for companies that wish to invest in them. To learn more about this discipline and any training courses offered, you can visit this page.
