Kung Fu is an incredible way to get your body into excellent shape. It gives you a total body workout that has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, aid in weight loss, increase muscle tone and reflexes.
While the physical benefits of Kung Fu are significant, the emotional and mental aspects are equally impressive. In almost all sports, as a participant ages, their energy and ability begin to falter. Kung Fu, on the other hand, allows a practitioner to continue to renew their energy as they age.
What follows are some of the many benefits of Kung Fu that extend beyond the physical:
- Stress relief. Kung Fu encourages participants to draw energy into their body. This is achieved through breath work, flowing movements and visualization. It also helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress-related symptoms. Further, it is a well-documented fact that endorphins released during physical activity not only relieve stress but improve overall mood.
- Mental focus. Breath work and meditation, which are used in many forms of Kung Fu, increase mental focus by placing the mind and body in a more relaxed state. Kung Fu also allows you to be completely still, which improves your focus.
- Discipline. Patience, insight and calmness are deemed prerequisites of a quality Kung Fu practice. After consistent practice of Kung Fu, practitioners become less aggressive and impulsive. This frame of mind extends into all aspects of daily living.
- Self-confidence. When you improve in your practice of Kung Fu, you discover that when you put your mind to a particular task, you are able to achieve it. The process of setting goals and then reaching those goals lead to a greater sense of self-confidence. It also helps you to be more comfortable performing difficult tasks in all areas of your life.
- Sense of community. Like many of the martial arts, Kung Fu is in many ways a social endeavor. As you work with your instructor one-on-one or in a group or class setting, these interactions allow you to get to know others as you support each other in your practice. Therefore, Kung Fu is a great way to avoid isolation and help you to become part of something larger than yourself.
Kung Fu allows those who practice in it to become stronger mentally and physically. Often, people put a higher premium on the physical benefits of Kung Fu but it is important to remember all that Kung Fu has to offer in the way of emotional and mental improvement, as well.