Extra Credit Blog

For my extra credit blog, I am writing from past experience and knowledge, and not necessarily following the instructions precisely. I do however feel that this blog will be roughly what you are looking for, and mostly the same product that would have developed if I had done one of the things on the list. Of the list of possible services or classes to attend, the Tai Chi class was what interested me the most. I have long been interested in the art and practice of ancient Eastern rituals, especially the martial arts. And to me, Tai Chi is certainly that, a martial art. As a child/teenager, I took karate classes at the local academy for many years. Throughout my years of practicing karate on a regular basis, I did do quite a bit of meditation. At first it was difficult to focus my attention and power to one thing, but as time progressed and I began to understand the art/sport more, the meditation part began to make more sense. As meditation became more natural and effective, I could tell an incredible difference in my focus and power inside the studio and out. While at practice or in competition, after my meditation and mental preparation, I would enter an almost unbreakable focus and this was something that I could not do outside of the studio. This to me is still a bit puzzling, but after learning more about rituals throughout the semester it does make more sense now than in the past. It wasn't just the practice of meditation that got me to that focused state, it was also the overall ritual of mentally preparing myself, and the relaxing, comfortable environment.


Aside from my personal experience, I am an avid fan of mixed martial arts. Not a weekend passes that I don't watch at least one live event, and if there are no live events to be seen, I will watch hours upon hours of old fights. One thing I have noticed recently (since taking this course) is the difference in preparation, relaxation, in cage/ring rituals, etc of practitioners of traditional martial artists versus those of the more modern athletes of the sport. Fighters who were raised and trained in a traditional martial art tend to have a much more standard ritual and mental preparation process before a fight than those who are trained to be an MMA fighter. Their preparation and in cage calmness seems very much like the meditation I experienced personally before training or competing. It has been very interesting for me to make these small connections between traditional Eastern religions and traditional martial arts throughout the course of this semester. It does however make a lot of sense, that these meditation and relaxation practices formed from religions such as Taoism.