Martial arts and meditation

[egoless]

Martial art may be very powerful technique to enhance your meditation yields. It helps you to master your body and movements as well as stay present. Becoming in touch with the natural flow of energy within your body. In this topic I want to discuss which martial arts do you consider as the best complementary to meditation practices. I would assume that the choice will mainly be between Tai Chi and Shaolin Kung Fu. Also we should discuss practical matter connected with learning those martial arts and implementing them to boost our meditation results. How do you get started, which YouTube channels to follow and etc.

[outlandish]

I think if you want to get started with martial arts you should find an actual teacher and class you vibe with, rather than try to learn from YouTube videos etc.

You really need the feedback of an instructor, and the physical interactions.

Tai Chi is a form of body meditation.  I don't know much about kung fu. Karate relates to meditation, mental control, focus, breath a lot IME. Most martial arts have some aspect of meditation as part of their core philosophy.

It would be hard to go wrong pursuing a martial art, or any physical activity really. Being active and healthy definitely helps the mind to be present, still, focused.

[egoless]

Tai Chi is indeed is very close to meditation, however Kung Fu seems more powerful. Anybody experienced in any of these to explain?

[stevegan928]

watch out with anything that involves full contact sparing with strikes, one punch to the head can fuck up a lifetime of meditation and it doesn't even need to be that devastating of a blow. grappling, hitting pads, and inner martial arts like tai chi and qui gon are the way to go. imo the only people who should be punching each other in the head are the ones who've made competitive martial arts their life purpose. other than that stay away from hobbies that can cause brain damage.  

[Epiphany_Inspired]

I've done a bit of qigong for this: http://www.energyarts.com/what-qigong

[Pierre]

@egoless Tai Chi is great as a dynamic meditation, but the martial aspect of more external ways like kung-fu or karate allows you to work on your fears and to confront your limitations. But they should be practiced in a traditional spirit, that is, with strong ethics, a constant concern for the mental/spiritual aspect, and of course, for a very long period, a life-time if possible.

[egoless]

Can MMA be considered as the form of meditation or can it boost your meditation practice? I consider MMA as the most useful practice in needs of self defense or unexpected fights. So I am looking for double benefits - meditation and practicality