The art of karate benefits the mind in a number of important ways. By definition, mental balance refers to the healthy psychological state of someone. An equal balance as some may say. The effects of karate have the ability to enhance many individual mental characteristics such as confidence, humility, focus, and more. With these pulls, it has the natural ability to create an overall source of mental balance in its students.

Karate works as an outlet for releasing energy.

If not released, energy put into things like stress, anxiety, and worry can build up. This can stem from things like work, school, or just daily life. In both a physical and mental sense, karate can act as a great outlet for release and a source to maintain mental balance.

Physically, karate acts as a tangible outlet for the release of pent of energy. While exercising, your body releases endorphins. Endorphins are little boosters that run through your brain and work to improve one’s sense of well-being as well as help to alleviate stress. This physical release allows one to focus their brain on less taxing things.

Mentally, karate allows you to place yourself into a state in which you are aware of yourself and your emotions. This is done through exercises, personal tasks, breathing techniques, and conversation. With a centered mind, it tends to be easier to compartmentalize mental hurdles and begin to work through them. This creates a distinct balance of ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’.

Karate helps to enable a sense of inner calmness.

It is often believed that a level of calmness is imperative in one’s ability to be receptive to the lessons that are to come to them. Maintaining a relaxed attitude is a concept that runs deep in the art of karate. This stems all the way back to the concept of kata. By incorporating this concept into one’s life at the dojo, it becomes easy over time to also do the same in one’s life outside of the dojo. In particular, this can assist greatly in the efforts of:

• Multi-tasking and establishing an order of things
• Delegating energy between personal roles (work life, school life, family life, extracurriculars, and more)
• Maintaining healthy conversation among peers

With calmness, it is possible to approach both daily tasks and new things head-on with no mental distraction

Karate is an additional outlet that students can use to express themselves.

In addition to one’s professional work life, proper student schedule, or role as a parent, the dojo can act as an exterior space for students to express themselves. Especially in today’s world, it is common for one to let a role that they are a part of consume them. In settings as such, it is oftentimes also difficult to express oneself.

Karate acts as an additional outlet in one’s life in which they can truly be themselves. By having this sort of avenue, it is possible to incorporate a mental balance of both ‘work’ and ‘play’ where both areas can shine.

Getting started with karate at Douvris Martial Arts:

Since 1984, Douvris Martial Arts has been proudly offering its multi-location sprawl of karate classes to those of all ages. From tykes to adult, we offer classes to those as young as four years old. Each of our schools are owned by a former student who is devoted to cultivating the practice of karate, supporting the pursuit of fitness, fostering kinship, and developing leadership among people of all ages. You can view our programs, classes, and locations here.

Please note that this article is based on our own thoughts and opinions and has not been formally approved by a healthcare or fitness professional.