“4 Martial Arts Forms that Create Peace”

There are many great ways of finding inner peace, and the practicing martial arts is another way of finding peace. Here are 4 great practices that will help anyone calm their mind and create contentment, joy, and self-confidence.

Qi-Gong - Qi-Gong is a martial arts that focuses on movement, breath work, and visualization. Using the chi energy that is all around us Qi-Gong brings that chi energy into our body, thus revitalizing the body through the meridians or energy channels throughout. And it also helps the person to focus and be present in the here-and-now. And Qi-Gong calms the mind and creates inner peace. Qi-Gong goes back thousands of years and some who practice Qi-Gong become very powerful. Some Qi-Gong masters can yell and move their hand and light is given off their hand. Other masters can have 12 men run in their direction and just by using their Chi energy they can knock down everyone. In fact I knew of a Qi-Gong Master who was a martial arts fighter before he changed to Qi-Gong. But later after learning Qi-Gong he was so powerful he could overcome his opponent with one finger. At that point he gave up fighting and dedicated his life to healing with Qi-Gong. Then he wrote a five volume set of books about healing with Qi-Gong. And in China they have lots of Qi-Gong clinics and hospitals that only use Qi-Gong for healing all kinds of illness. Learning Qi-Gong will change a persons life forever.

Tai Chi - Tai Chai was originally a form of martial arts for subduing attackers. But now Tai Chai is practiced as a form of exercise by millions of people around the world and especially in Asia. Tai Chi also uses Qi-Gong breathing practices, but has slightly different movements and visualizations. The movements are slow, precise, and helps a person to concentrate on one thing at a time. Tai Chi is very good for calming jangled nerves and for creating peace. Find a good Tai Chi teacher and start to learn the ancient techniques of Tai Chi which go back1,500 years. And some say that Zhang San Feng who created Tai Chi and Tai Chi boxing lived to be over 700 years old.

Aikido - Aikido is a Japanese martial arts but in general it’s not really a martial arts but a way of using the opponents energy to subdue them without doing any harm at the same time. And Aikido is all about circular motions, and Aikido is a way of life which is also a cycle. Aikido has very high standards that one has to live up too… and even the word “Aikido” stands for “Ai” means Harmony, Ki means Energy, and the two letters “Do” mean a way of Life or Path. Aikido was developed by Morihei Ueshiba and his synthesis of spiritual and philosophical beliefs. And his understanding that the great Chi energy around used as a defense and also healing of the mind and body. Aikido focuses on moving with the flow of energy, and using the other person’s energy with softness to bring about the desired effect. Plus Aikido is about feeling and sensing, and less about cognitive reasoning. Aikido is about using the least amount of energy needed to accomplish any task. And Aikido is also a way of understanding the mind thus Aikido is practiced by many psychotherapist, psychologist, and counselors who want to understand themselves better. And Aikido also incorporates meditation as part of their process of understanding the self. As martial arts go Aikido is relatively new, being created in the 1800’s but Aikido has caught on like wild fire. Thus Aikido has spread around the world as a way of creating peace and moving forward with spiritual growth.

Taekwondo - Taekwondo is a Korean martial art form that goes back to the 1940’s. Taekwondo was started by Choi Hong Hi in 1952 and is one of the newest members of martial arts. Taekwondo creates mental discipline with self-control, physical agility, respect by treating everyone with courtesy and honor. Also the ability to focus on just one task at a time, and patience with the ability to handle whatever comes their way without complaining. Plus integrity by holding all actions to a very high degree of honor. Taekwondo is also about physical jumps, kicks, and spins which take years to master. And as with all martial arts Taekwondo also about obtaining mastery over one’s self… thus finding true peace.

Any of these 4 martial arts can be practiced by anyone, no matter how old or or how young, be it a child or someone 80 or 90 years old. Learning martial arts creates health and vitality for everyone, and it also create a sense of inner peace, self-confidence, and self-control. Find a martial arts teacher near you and find inner peace.

Do you practice martial arts?

I’ve practiced Qi-Gong for years, and I will keep practicing Qi-Gong for the rest of my life.

Dr. Paul Haider