Global Warrior Spirit Meditation – Traditions for Tournament Success

Global Warrior Spirit Meditation – Traditions for Tournament Success from Anxiety to Action: Meditation for Martial Arts Competitors

In the moments before stepping onto the competition mat, your heart pounds wildly and your thoughts threaten to race you in a life-or-death marathon. The competition arena is abuzz with excitement and activity. Everywhere you look, someone is rushing from one place to another, people are stretching to inspiring degrees, shadowboxers are warming up in every corner, and a dizzying number and dazzling array of weapons are slicing the air and whistling as they glint and carve imaginary opponents. External challenges, confusion, & chaos threaten to overwhelm your carefully honed techniques.

The greatest Martial Artists understand that true victory begins not with the first physical move, but with the focused stillness that precedes it. Research published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement demonstrates that even brief meditation sessions significantly reduce pre-competition cortisol levels while enhancing attentional control – allowing competitors to maintain technique precision under pressure. This isn’t merely psychological comfort; neuroimaging studies reveal that regular meditation actually strengthen the neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex responsible for decision-making and impulse control. This affords meditation practitioners a measurable advantage in high-stress scenarios.

Think of your mind as a sword being forged. The technical training is the metal itself – the raw material of your skill. But meditation is the careful tempering process that transforms that potential into something exceptional: focused, resilient, and deadly sharp. Just as a master swordsmith knows the blade must be heated, cooled, & reheated in precise measure, your consciousness requires similar disciplined attention before facing your opponent. You’ve been in the forge of your school – training to exhaustion. Now enter the refreshing cold plunge of tempering. And emerge a powerful weapons whose symbolism is of the very highest order – war, spirit, and wisdom. The ancient warriors understood this balance intuitively; modern science has simply confirmed what the masters have always known – that the battle is won first within, then without.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Time to sharpen up! The shields are being lifted, the sheaths are being emptied.

Prologue:

Whether this is your first completion or simply the next in a long history of competitions, I welcome you. We can all very easily experience trepidation, anxiety, fear, and faltering self-confidence as we step up to a test. A competition can often feel like a test. Perhaps this coming competition is your first time ever or perhaps it is your first time signing up for this sort of competition or this facet of competition. Coalescing and clarifying the mind can serve us in our adventure ahead.

Join in, please.

In this Guided Meditation, I will be outlining a broad range of martial and Philsophical touchstones. Some may be familiar, some less so. This is an opportunity to learn and to see broad patterns of collegiality within our greater Martial Arts families. A Martial Arts competition often serves to foster expanding and deepening tendrils of connectivity to our sisters and brothers in the Arts.

The intention is that, after sampling this entire Guided Meditation, you might choose the portions of this meditation that align with your concerns and understandings. And perhaps return to them or even expand on them as needed. Discard the rest of the examples of martial tradition that I’ve provided if you like – it’s OK.

Consider recording for yourself the sections you feel the strongest affinity for. In this way, you can more easily construct a meditation practice that best serves your needs and that meets you where your studies and growth have brought you.

Later, you can simply press play when you want to be guided through your own version of a meditation. It’ll be your own voice in your head helping you steady and steel yourself for the coming difficulties. What better voice in your head to supplant the chattering voice in your head than your own?!

Either way, have a Guided Meditation at the ready when you are feeling ready, not quite ready, or even unsteady. The night before or right before the competition, maybe? I’ve included a link to a free version of this Guided Meditation (with music!) which I recorded as part of my podcast where I regularly offer novel Guided Meditations.

Welcome to this Guided Meditation, designed to support you as you prepare to enter your first Martial Arts competition. Or, if not your first, your next. (In fact, this meditation would likely work quite well before your next rank test or demonstration team performance, as well.)

Now, have a safe, social, educational, & fun experience.

Go give back to the world!

A Welcome:

Take a moment to find a comfortable seated position, either on the floor or in a chair, with your back straight and your hands resting gently on your lap.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose, feeling your lungs expand fully. Exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing any tension you may be holding.
Let your breath flow naturally, and allow yourself to become fully present in this moment.

Here we go:

Embracing Calmness:

Inhale deeply and imagine standing at ease, quiet, confident, and strong. Beside you a calm, still lake stretches out. Deeply blue, clean, fresh. Forests and mountains surround it – each rising up to a sky competing to be just as blue, clean, and fresh as the lake. The lake is vast, extending beyond your vision. Opening yourself to your inner vision, however – you can envision its far shores…alive with life, adventures and challenges. The lake is deep, extending far beyond your vision – beyond the sunlight’s reach. Opening yourself to your inner vision, however – you can easily envision it darkest depths…a home to treasures, dazzling lifeforms, and sunken ships.
The water is clear and serene, reflecting the surrounding mountains and sky. The waters reflect the clouds drifting past and the flocks of passing birds. This is the inner calmness that resides within you. Within you, a vast sky, a vast lake, a vast horizon. Inhale and draw inspiration from the wisdom of ancient Martial Arts, where the exatraordinary philosophies Teach us to find stillness in movement. Placidity and passivity in activity.
Let go of any anxiety or self-doubt. Feel the limitless potential of the Sky above – empty and yet full of life and possibility. Feel the tranquility of the lake fill your mind and body. Beneath its reflective and sometimes roiling waters, unseen currents flow, schools of fish glide past. And nearer the lake floor, a silt bottom – unperturbed by motion by change. Silent, settled, supportive – and unseen.

Harnessing Ki:
Focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale. In Japanese Martial Arts, the concept of 氣, Ki represents the vital life force that flows through all living things. Visualize this energy as a welcome and life-giving light radiating from deep within your core. As you continue to breathe, see the energizing and healing light ever more clearly, feel its warmth growing with each breath – even slowly growing.
With each breath the energy is filling you with vitality and confidence.
With each breath the Ki seeps more deeply into you.
With each breath the Ki feels more at home, more familiar to you.
With each breath you feel more confident, more calm, more capable.

This Ki flows from, through, and among all who you will encounter at the tournament. It is a shared life, flowing like wisdom or waters between all members of a community and the place it calls home.
Know that this inner power will guide and support you during your training and competition as well as your afterstory of competition.

Australian Aboriginal Combat: Connection to Country

Turn your awareness to the ancient traditions of Australia’s First Nations peoples, whose combat systems are among the oldest continuous martial practices on Earth. There is wrestling and stick fighting, but you’ve chosen the honorable spear. An exemplar of coordination and a warrior’s reach. The spear feeds the village in the days it is not taken up to defend the village. The honor knows your heart and hands and fills your belly. The fishing spear and the hunting spear were each as important as the heavier war spear. Accuracy, strength, and stability were important measurements of any successful spear-wielder.

Inhale deeply, imagining the scent of eucalyptus and desert air.
Exhale slowly, visualizing the sacred soils beneath your feet, connecting you to the oldest continent.

In Aboriginal martial traditions like spear throwing, people develop not just technique but deep connection to Country – the land that sustains all life. This connection provides both physical grounding and spiritual power.

Inhale, drawing strength from the land beneath you, wherever you may be. As you inhale, red Earth builds your blood.
Exhale, acknowledging your place in the greater web of life. As you exhale, the Songlines sing brightly.

Aboriginal warriors trained not just for combat but for ceremonial contests that reinforced cultural values and resolved conflicts. Their weapons and movements were extensions of their relationship with the natural world. Just as the Woomera was an extension of the arm – providing extraordinary leverage to the hunter while also requiring great skill of the spear-holder.

Inhale the ancient wisdom of listening – to your body, to your opponent, to the environment.
Exhale, releasing any separation between yourself and your surroundings.

Let the world’s oldest continuous culture remind you that Martial Arts are not separate from life but deeply embedded in it. Trust the accumulated knowledge in your body, passed down through generations of teachers, just as Aboriginal knowledge has been preserved for over 60,000 years. Like the Kylie, the heavy hunting stick, you will throw yourself into the challenge ahead and success will be yours!

Mongolian Wrestling: Heritage of the Steppe

Turn your awareness to the endless grasslands of Mongolia, where for thousands of years, nomadic herders have practiced Bökh. Bökh is pronounced BOH-kh and most often translated as Mongolian wrestling and is as much a celebration of strength, skill, & heritage as it is a combat art. A Bökh contest is held without age, weight, or time limits and no part of the body may touch the ground except the soles of the feet. In your challenge ahead, your feet will draw strength from the ground and no part of you will falter and fall to Earth.

Inhale deeply, drawing in the pure air of the steppes.
Exhale slowly, feeling your connection to the earth strengthen like the roots of ancient grass.
Visualize yourself in the traditional зодог, Zodog – a multicolored and flowing necklace of silken ribbons symbolizing skill, heritage, and achievements. The respect the growing crowd has for your Martial prowess has allowed you the honor of wearing this Zodog. Honorary titles from wrestling have included Hawk, Falcon, Elephant, and Lion. Undefeatable Giant is the highest rank – and you are prepared now to achieve it. It flows in the high winds of the steppe and flashes as you move – like a powerful horse’s mane!)

Now, you are performing the дэвэх, Devekh (Eagle dance) before the contest – arms outstretched like wings, celebrating freedom and power. The dance is an honor to perform and its intention is to show great respect for the audience and your opponents. Set your determined mind, now on this great task. Generate cheers for the challenges ahead!

Inhale the spirit of the eagle soaring above the Mongolian plains. Your vision is celebrated.
Exhale, grounding yourself like the mountains that rise from the steppe. Your confidence is the stuff of legend.

In Mongolian tradition, a wrestler embodies the values of Baatar (hero) – someone who shows not just physical strength, but courage, honor, & respect for tradition. Feel these qualities living within you.

Inhale, drawing strength from your Ancestors, whether literal or spiritual.
Exhale, committing yourself to honoring their legacy through your actions.

Let the heritage of the steppe warriors fill you with quiet confidence, knowing that you stand in a tradition that values both victory and how one achieves it – with honor, skill, and respect.

Nuba Wrestling: Resilience and Tradition

Now, bring your attention to the resilience and tradition of Nuba Wrestling, practiced along the Nile River in Sudan and Egypt.

Inhale deeply, feeling the connection to the ancient Nuba warriors who used this Art to build strength and unity.
As you exhale, visualize yourself on the sandy wrestling ground, surrounded by the cheers of your community.

Feel the power in your legs and core, the agility in your movements. Nuba wrestling was traditionally practiced nude. During a competition, with all eyes directed at you – and many critically you may feel like the Nuba wrestlers. Some Nuba Wrestling practices are done with sticks and still naked. You may feel similarly lashed at and lacerated as you perform.

Inhale again deeply. Feel that connection to the ancient Nuba warriors who built strength and unity through this Art.
Exhale again. Visualize yourself, having thrown your opponent to the ground, your ears filled with the thunderous cheers of your brethren.

Embrace the Nuba philosophy of perseverance and respect for tradition. Let this resilience and connection to your heritage guide you with pride and determination during your competition.

Viking Glima: Honor Wrestling

Shift your awareness to the snow-covered landscapes of Scandinavia, where for over a thousand years, Norse people have practiced Glima – a formidable wrestling art that embodies both practical combat and cultural values. In Glima, balance, agility, and keen technique are celebrated and required – brute strength will be the consolation of the newly vanquished.
Knowing Glima as you do, nothing in your test to come will trip you up or throw you. You will sweep away any obstacles in your path and be the lone wrestler to stand at the test’s end. Metaphorically, of course!

You tie on your goat leather Glímubelti – Wrestling Belt and step into the arena. Whether or not your opponent gets a grip of your belt, you know that your grip will serve you better. You will use timing, balance, sensitivity and leverage to make full use of your legs and grip.

Inhale deeply, drawing in the cold, crisp northern air. Exhale slowly, imagining yourself standing on the rocky shores of a fjord, strong as the ancient glaciers.

In Viking culture, a warrior’s worth was measured not just by victory, but by how they conducted themselves. The concept of Drengskapr – honor, fairness, and courage – guides your approach to combat just as it guided the Vikings in their approach to trade and daily life. Fairness, courage, loyalty, and humility are the foundation of this system thought. Whatever comes to you in this coming test, you will keep a tight grip of Respect, Resilience, Communality, and Generosity – as if it were your opponent’s belt.

Inhale the straightforward honesty valued in Norse tradition.
Exhale any inclination toward deception or dishonorable tactics.

Feel the belt around your waist, the traditional handhold of Glima wrestlers. This grip creates both connection and respect between opponents – a physical reminder that even in competition, you are bound by mutual agreement and rules.
Inhale strength that comes not from domination, but from integrity.
Exhale, committing yourself to clean, technical execution of your Art.

Let the Viking spirit of principled competition fill you with determination and focus, knowing that how you compete reflects your character as much as whether you win or lose.

Muay Thai: The Dance of Eight Limbs

Turn your awareness now to Thailand’s pride, the ancient fighting Art of Muay Thai, known as the “Art of Eight Limbs.” The eight limbs often double the four ( two hands, two feet) that other styles of martial arts competitors make use of. Muay Thai adds, emphasizes, and encourages the elbows and knees. As such, the Art is quite in-your-face and the origami Artist of Thailand folds and bends herself to sharpen an otherwise straight limb.

Inhale deeply, feeling the vibrant warmth of the tropical Thai air filling your lungs.

Exhale slowly, imagining yourself standing in a traditional training camp, surrounded by the sounds of pads being struck and the rhythmic music of the Sarama.

Visualize the Wai Kru Ram Muay, the traditional pre-fight ritual dance where fighters honor their Teachers, Ancestors, and spirits. Pronounced Wah-Kroo Ram-Moo-i, this dance is profoundly meditative, introspective, rhythmic, and spiritual. You begin by kneeling in the arena, sitting on your heels with knees wide. You bow rhythmically multiple times, your motions driven by the fuel of respect bubbling within.
As you dance, you wear the มงคล, Monkkon, a rope headband blessed by monks and adorned with protective symbols of blessing. Feel the sacred headband encircling your brow, carrying the strength and expectations of your lineage. This will be removed before the contest.

Inhale, gathering the strength of the tiger, the cunningness of the crocodile, the nobility of the elephant.
Exhale, feeling your stance lower, your body becoming a weapon of eight points – hands, elbows, knees, & feet.

Around each bicep ปะเจียด, Prajiad are tied. These cloth bands symbolize your training family, their values, and represent their protective blessings.
Inhale, gathering the stealth, precision, and fluidity of the Naga.
Exhale, feeling your joints loosen, your muscles heat up.

In Thai culture, the concept of เย็นใจ, Jai Yen (cool heart) encourages calmness under pressure, while ร้อนใจ, Jai Rawn (hot heart) represents the fighting spirit. Express both the passion and the calmness with equal power. Find the balance between these two states.

Inhale the cool heart – patient, strategic, observant.
Exhale the hot heart – determined, courageous, unstoppable.

Feel the legendary spirit of the Thai warriors who developed this art to protect their kingdom. Let their resilience and technical precision guide you through your competition with both heart and respect.

Russian Sambo: The Science of Self-Defense

Bring your attention to the cold, vast landscapes of Russia, birthplace of Sambo – “SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya” or “Self Defense without Weapons.”

Inhale deeply, feeling the crisp, cool air filling your lungs. You are empowered rather than defeated by the deep cold.
Exhale slowly, imagining the strength of the Russian birch tree – flexible yet unbreakable.

You are grounded and resilient, your feet in the snow and your face to the sun.

In Sambo, practitioners learn to harness both physical techniques and mental fortitude. The philosophy embraces adaptation – taking what works from many sources to create something uniquely effective.

Inhale, drawing in the analytical mind that Sambo requires. Just as you will do in your competition, breathe in from all sources.
Exhale, releasing rigid thinking and embracing pragmatic solutions. Just as you will do in your competition, breathe out novel responses to challenges.

Feel the ground beneath you, solid as the Siberian permafrost. Imagine yourself in a stance that is balanced yet dynamic – ready to shoot for a takedown or counter an opponent’s movement with precision.

Inhale the spirit of resilience that defines this Martial Art. Your spirit is timeless.
Exhale any doubt about your ability to adapt under pressure. Your doubts are perishable.

Embrace the Sambo mindset – analytical, resourceful, and determined – knowing that you can face any challenge with both scientific precision and warrior spirit.

Drinking of Dàoist Wisdom:

Visualize yourself standing in a lush bamboo forest in China. The tall, slender bamboo stalks sway gracefully with the wind, never breaking. There are birds hidden in the bamboo leaves, there are songs hidden in those birds. The bamboo, the songbirds, and you – each have a song to sing – a story to tell.

In Dàoist philosophy, the 虛, Xū Empty Vessel is a frequent Teaching metaphor. As is the water that might go inside. The vessel is flexible enough to receive anything and also to offer up anything within itself. Similarly, water is flexible enough to freeze or flow, and also to conform to the shape of any vessel it is poured into.
Breathing in, the air, like the water – conforms to the shape of you.
Breathing out, the body, like the empty vessel – offers all within without hesitation or restriction.
Breathing in, flexibility in.
Breathing out, flexibility out.

As you prepare for your competition, embody the flexibility and resilience of the bamboo.
of the songbird and its song.
of the breeze playing the bamboo forest like its own instrument.
of the empty vessel.
of the water.
of the breath.

Breathing in, flexibility in.

Breathing out, flexibility out.

Trust that by flowing with the natural rhythms, you will find strength and harmony in your movements.

Ubuntu Warrior Mindset:

Imagine yourself in the ancestral lands of the Zulu warriors, where the golden savanna stretches to meet the horizon. In many African traditions, the philosophy of Ubuntu “I am only because we are” teaches that our humanity is inextricably bound with others. The entirety of our humanity – our suffering and our celebrations…connected to the lives of every other life – friend and foe, stranger and sibling. The Zulu warrior understands that true strength flows from connection, not isolation. The very act of breathing connects the limited physical existence with our unlimited spiritual reality.

Sitting with your back straight like a spear, feel your Ancestors behind you.
Breathing in, draw strength from your lineage and community.
Breathing out, dedicate your practice to something greater than yourself.

The Nguni Bantu concept of uMoya, Spirit or Breath connects all living beings in an unbroken circle.
Breathing in, receive the collective strength of your community.
Breathing out, offer your courage to those who will come after you.

As you prepare for your challenge, remember that you never fight alone. Each movement carries the wisdom of generations, each breath connects you to a legacy of warriors who understand that victory honors not just the individual, but the whole.

Indian Yogic Tradition:

Imagine yourself standing tall in the sacred Ganges river, where yogis have refined body-mind awareness for millennia. Wisdom, life, stories, and spirit all flow from the Himalayas through the life of each Indian and then on to the sea. The concept of प्राण, Prana represents life force flowing through specific channels नाडी, Nadi. Feel it flow through you as reliably as mother Ganges flows through the lands of India.
Breathing in, direct Prana to areas of tension or fear.
Breathing out, transform that energy into focused strength.
Before competition, consider practicing alternate nostril breathing (नाडी शोधन, Nadi Shodhana) to balance your energy and calm your nervous system.

The Universal Spirit of Martial Arts
Take a moment to reflect on the diverse traditions you’ve connected with in this meditation – from the resilient reserve of Chinese 虛, Xū to the river of Prana flowing like the Ganges. From the Vikings’ commitment to Drengskapr to the Zulu hero’s uMoya. From the naked power of Nuba Wrestling to the raw fury of Sambo. From the Aboriginal war spear to the Thai warrior’s Monkkon.
Inhale deeply, feeling the universal spirit that unites all Martial Arts: respect, discipline, courage, and harmony.
As you exhale, visualize a glowing thread connecting you to practitioners around the world, past and present. Feel the shared energy of their dedication, their struggles, and their triumphs.

Know that you are part of this timeless lineage, a living expression of Martial Arts’ wisdom and spirit. This is a lineage that reaches further back than we’ve considered and includes a vast multitude of important traditions – only a very few of which we’ve touched on. Embrace this universal connection, letting it fill you with humility and strength. Whether you are stepping onto the mat, the ring, or the arena, you carry not only your own training but also the collective spirit of Martial Arts traditions. Let this awareness guide you with confidence, grace, & respect as you enter your competition.
Inhale each Martial Arts value.
Exhale, each Martial Arts value.

Again:

Inhale all Martial Arts values.

Exhale, all Martial Arts values.

Confidence in Competence:
Reflect on the countless hours of training and dedication you have put into developing your Martial Arts skills. Few people today have demonstrated such devotion to carrying a craft forward to the next generation.
Inhale deeply and let a sense of calm confidence wash over you. Know that you are prepared and capable.
Exhale slowly and visualize yourself performing with precision, strength, and grace. Trust in your competence and let this confidence guide you during your competition.
Know that your time training has been a lengthening of this path of human progress – a road stretching back across time to the Founders of your Art. Walk forward confidently and both build and show the way to those who will follow you – just as you followed your Teachers.

Camaraderie and Connection:
Now, bring to mind the sense of camaraderie and connection you share with your fellow Martial Artists.
With a slight smile, inhale deeply, feeling a sense of unity and support. Remember that you are part of a larger community, and this shared bond strengthens you.
Exhaling slowly now, visualize the faces of your friends and mentors, and let their encouragement and belief in you fill your heart. Embrace the spirit of camaraderie as you enter the competition.

Martial Arts is always practiced along a continuum of cooperation, competition, and combat. This competition will outwardly represent two of those three. Embrace that. Half of what the competition outwardly presents is competition while the other half is cooperation. Commit to fully experiencing both halves of what is offered. As for combat, that may be experienced internally. Jitters, hesitations, fear, faltering self-confidence. Under the surface, you may be presented with an unseen battlefield. Seek the support of your peers and mentors as well as new friends. Rely on your internal reserves, earlier commitments, student creed, and mental practices. Be consciously breathing. Steel yourself for the challenge but don’t let the challenge steal your resolve.
Inhale, you are part of a worldwide family. A family prepared to support your efforts both in success and failure.
Exhale, you are part of a worldwide family. A family you are prepared to support both in success and failure.

Cultivating Gratitude and Humility:
Now, bring your awareness to the many people, experiences, and lessons that have brought you to this moment. In Martial Arts, gratitude and humility are deeply valued virtues. In Japanese Budō, the concept of 謙虚, Kenkyo reminds us to remain humble, even in our achievements.
Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, reflect on the Teachers, training partners, and challenges that have shaped your journey. The long line of contributors to this moment of yours is truly humbling.
Feel a deep sense of gratitude for their role in your growth. Now, turn your attention inward. Acknowledge your own efforts and dedication.

Inhale gratitude for your own strength, resilience, & commitment.

Exhale any ego or pride. Embrace humility as a lasting source of inner peace.

Visualize yourself bowing in respect – to your Teachers, to your opponents, and to the Art itself. This act of humility connects you to the deeper purpose of Martial Arts: not just to win, but to grow, to learn, and to honor the journey. Let this gratitude and humility fill your heart, grounding you in a mindset of respect and appreciation as you prepare to set your intention.

Setting Your Intention:

Take a few moments to set a clear intention for your Martial Arts competition.

Right now, take a few moments:
Breathing quietly.
Quieting the mind.
Settling the heart.
What do you hope to achieve?
What qualities do you want to embody?

Visualize yourself performing with skill, grace, & confidence. See yourself overcoming any obstacles and achieving your goals.

Your intention is set. It cannot be altered. While it might not be fulfilled, it will remain to guide you. Hold this vision in your mind, and let it guide you throughout your journey.

The Warrior’s Rest

Before we conclude our journey through the world’s martial traditions, let us acknowledge one more universal aspect of the warrior’s path – the importance of rest and recovery.
Inhale deeply, feeling a profound sense of peace settling over your body.
Exhale completely, allowing yourself to truly release.

Every martial tradition recognizes that the warrior who does not rest is not wise. The warrior refusing rest will succumb to weakness, injury, and an early death. The Japanese speak of 間, Ma – the space between actions where power gathers. Some of this space is measurable with a ruler as distance but much of it is a measure of strategy and psychology. The Chinese concept of 無為, Wúwéi celebrates frictionless action that comes from proper preparation, flexibility, & timing rooted in spontaneity.

Inhale, drawing in the restful energy that builds strength. Free the space.
Exhale, releasing the tension of constant striving. Free the frictionlessness.

Inhale, drawing in restfulness. Feel the space.

Exhale, releasing tension. Feel the frictionlessness.

Visualize yourself after competition – regardless of outcome – taking time to honor your body’s need for recovery, your mind’s need for reflection, as well as your spirit’s need for balance.
Inhale gratitude for your body’s service to your martial path.
Exhale, promising to honor its needs as faithfully as you push its limits.

Let this awareness of the warrior’s rest cycle complete your preparation, reminding you that the path of Martial Arts is not a single event but a lifetime journey of challenge and recovery, effort and rest, striving & reflection.

A Return to Lake and Sky:

Inhale deeply and imagine standing once more at lakeside.
Still at ease. Still quiet. Still confident. Still strong. Whatever the results of the competition, these qualities of a Martial Artist do not erode. You are not the results of a competition, whether victor or loser. You remains, like the lake before you, like the sky above, like the ground below – at Ease, Deeply Quiet, Unshakably Confident, and Undyingly Strong.
The lake stretches out. Deeply blue, clean, fresh. Forests and mountains surround it – each rising up to a sky competing to be just as blue, clean, and fresh as the lake. The lake is vast, extending beyond your vision. The lake edges extend further now, after your competition. The sky reaches further, too. The lake is deeper, too – somehow.

Opening yourself to your inner vision, however – you can envision its far shores…alive with life, adventures and challenges. The lake is deep, extending far beyond your vision – beyond the sunlight’s reach. Opening yourself to your inner vision, however – you can easily envision it darkest depths…a home to treasures, dazzling lifeforms, and sunken ships. You’ve made these journeys now. You know the depths, the reaches, the heights not merely from your inner vision but from your journey.

The water remains clear and serene as it continues reflecting the surrounding mountains and sky. The waters reflect the clouds drifting past and the flocks of passing birds. There are fewer things in the sky now, though it seems as though it could hold more. The trees seem more colorful, taller. This is the inner calmness that resides within you. Within you, a vast sky, a vast lake, a vast horizon. Within you, resilient trees drinking of Earth and Sun. Inhale and draw inspiration from the wisdom of all of the Martial Arts, where their exatraordinary histories Teach us of respect, nobility, and family.
You have long-since let go of any anxiety or self-doubt. You have felt the limitless potential of the Sky above. You have felt the tranquility of the lake below. You have sailed, swam, and perhaps even nearly drowned in its reflective and sometimes roiling waters. You have been to lake bottom, and seen the mud support a Great Lake and all of its life – despite the profound darkness. You will remember the wisdom of pre-competition jitters, you will remember the friends made and stories woven, and you will Teach the next generation.

Thank you.

 

Closing:
Thank you.
When you feel ready, take a deep breath in and gently open your eyes. Carry the calmness, inner power, courage, adaptability, grounding, mindfulness, flexibility, resilience, compassion, confidence, camaraderie, and intention with you as you prepare for your competition. Remember, you are not alone. The wisdom and strength of Martial Arts traditions from China, Korea, Sudan, Brazil, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Tibet, and beyond are within you, supporting you every step of the way. Go forth with confidence and grace. This is a Martial Arts world, and you – through your dedication – are a necessary and resilient part of it all.

Feel free to practice this meditation regularly as you prepare for your competition. The more you connect with these themes, the more you’ll find strength, wisdom, and peace in your journey.

Thank you.

 

 

Bio

The author, Stephen Watson, teaches Dàoism through online classes such as meditation, Tàijíquán, and Qìgōng. SomedayFarm.org is his home.
Many guided Dàoist meditations are available in our growing library, available wherever you get your podcasts – search Someday Farm on your podcast player. All content lives on on our dedicated podcast/blog webpage: https://shhdragon.substack.com/podcast
Patreon.com/SomedayFarm is a great resource, as well. To have the author speak to your group (in person or via live-streamed video engagement or visit your place of study and share ina. Workshop, please do reach out. FarmingOurSomedays@Gmail.com