(Approx 1 minute 40 second read)

Every time I walk into the dojo I pause and respectfully bow my head. I remove my shoes before I step onto the mats and just soak in the atmosphere, even when I’m alone. I don’t have to. No one’s watching.
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It would be easy to just walk in and get on with it. But I don’t. Once my shoes are off I take the time to disinfect and clean the mats, ready for anyone else to walk in.
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I write a great deal about self-protection, it’s important to me to get the message across to those who believe it’s just about fighting. But for me, the martial arts have more to offer than physical skills. They should enhance life as well as preserve it.
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Of course, martial arts can mean different things to different people, culture, fighting, fitness, personal development, self-defense, or sport.
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It would be easy to just not bother, but that’s not me. This routine brings peace, where the world outside stops for a moment and I’m able to look deeply within. It’s a brief pause to reflect on my thoughts, feelings, and actions. It lasts only a few minutes before I begin my practice.
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Even before any students arrive, I move through whatever my subconscious tells me to. Many people rely on external validation or wait to be told what to do. Personally, I just lose myself and get on with it.
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Titles, belts, and certificates don’t mean much when the room is empty. In silence you can’t hide, there’s no one left to impress. Some people need noise and hype to train. I prefer quiet. Quiet exposes you. Quiet has a way of showing whether you’re genuinely training or just going through the motions.
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And you know which it is.
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Training alone reveals who you really are. No audience, no rank, no applause, just your habits and your honesty.
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People often ask me why I still bow when no one’s around. The answer is simple, if I only showed respect when someone was watching, it wouldn’t be respect at all.
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True practice isn’t what happens when class starts. It’s what you do before anyone else arrives and after everyone else has gone.
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People talk about loyalty in the martial arts, loyalty to the dojo, to the sensei, to the style. But loyalty to yourself comes first. If you abandon that, everything else is just noise.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo