Meditations on God

The Martial Way
We must not forget why we started training martial arts and why we decided to stay.

It is difficult to explain to people who do not know, just how important martial arts are to the lives of the people who practice them. For many practitioners, martial arts saved us from ourselves. They saved us from isolation, loneliness, depression, and an otherwise unhealthy, self-destructive lifestyle.

More than just a hobby, martial arts give us a community, a sense of purpose, a feeling of belonging, a place where we can get away, challenge ourselves, work out, and put life in perspective. Martial arts bring people together from all different walks of life, socio-political and economic backgrounds, religions, and occupations. They unite us around the common purpose of mutually beneficial self-improvement.

For many of us, martial arts are our lifeline, our stress relief, our exercise regimen, our social life, the means by which we improve our mental, physical, and emotional health, and perhaps even our primary source of income. For some, the martial arts we practice are even our chosen spiritual path and the dojo our temple. It is not all that important for others who do not practice to understand these things, but it is essential that we who practice do not forget.

Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.

Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

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May 19, 2020

aikido, bjj, brazilian jiu-jitsu, budo, community, diversity, emotional health, exercise, Martial Arts, martial journey, martial path, martial way, mental health, physical health, spiritual health, spiritual practice, taikyoku budo, the journey, the path, the way, training
A Community Of Shared Intention
Look past disagreements of opinions and beliefs to see where intentions overlap.

If all we ever see from one another is the most superficial aspects of our lives, there is no hope of having deep and meaningful relationships. Without deep and meaningful relationships, there is no possibility of creating a healthy, thriving community that works together for the common good. Without the power of a collective voice and collective will behind the change we wish to make, we are alone and helpless, left to fight against each other over opinions and agendas that may not even be our own or in our best interest.

Deep down, most of us simply want what is best for ourselves, our families, and our close circle of friends and associates. Most likely, we also want this without wanting the opposite for others. If we understand this about ourselves and assume that it is also true for others, we have a much greater opportunity to work together within our communities and with other overlapping communities for mutually beneficial solutions.

The fact is that people who lead purposeful, satisfying lives wherein they feel loved and supported by their community, no matter how small that community may be, also understand that their success is not contingent upon another person or group’s failure. In addition, people who are actively involved in healthy relationships know that finger pointing, name calling, and bickering never lead to positive, long-lasting solutions. Meaningful change begins by looking past our differences of belief and opinion and looking for the commonalities of spirit and intention we share with one another, for it is only through these commonalities that we will ever have community in the true sense of the word.

Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.

Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

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May 18, 2020

belief, change, community, compassion, connection, empathy, family, friends, intention, love, Opinion, progress, spirit, support
The Obsolescence Of Old Beliefs And Behaviors
Simply because something has always been believed to be true does not mean that it actually is.

There are many beliefs and behaviors we accept as truth by default. Often, these beliefs and behaviors are so common amongst our friends, families, and in our culture that we never really stop to consider whether or not they actually must or even should be true. These beliefs and behaviors may have existed for generations before us, having simply been passed down as part of our cultural DNA as the way things are or are meant to be.

Perhaps these beliefs and behaviors may have been reflective of the truth at one time. However, it is also quite possible that those who came before us never stopped to question whether what they believed and how they behaved based on those beliefs was the only way or the best way either. Regardless, what was once true or perceived as true is not necessarily always so.

Things change, the culture changes, and along with it, we must change. Evolution demands that we adapt to our new world with new beliefs and new behaviors, that we overcome the challenges our own life presents, and that we create a new environment for ourselves that suits our needs and aligns with our values. When and if we begin to evolve in this way, we may actually find that the things we once accepted without question as true, as inevitable, or even as desirable are actually hindrances to our happiness and are, in truth, obsolete.

Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.

Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

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May 17, 2020

adapt, adaptation, belief, change, evolution, evolve, growth, obsolescence, obsolete, obstacles, old beliefs, preconceptions, prejudice, truth
A Garden Of Words And Deeds
“Never let the weeds get higher than the garden. Always keep a sapphire in your mind. Always keep a diamond in your mind.”
—Tom Waits

All of the little things we do and say each day add up, but so do all of the little things we do not do and do not say. The goal is to do and say only those things that add positivity and value to our lives and the lives of others and to not do and not say the things that increase negativity and detract value from our lives and the lives of others. In other words, if we want a life that is fruitful and filled with beauty, we must behave and speak in a way that is most conducive with that result.

Of course, as we move toward better behavior, a better outlook, and a better life, old ideas, attitudes, and habits will crop up. When they do, the sooner we recognize them, root out their cause, and work to resolve them, the easier it will be to overcome them in the future. This requires honesty, both with ourselves and with those around us, and it also requires diligence.

Much like a garden, a healthy, positive, and productive life does not grow itself. It requires effort, attention, nourishment, and protection. Also like a garden, we are not solely responsible for all that goes right or all that goes wrong in our lives, but we are responsible for the way that we prepare for and respond to these things.

Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.

Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

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May 16, 2020

attention, deeds, garden, gardening, get behind the mule, intention, life, mule variations, negativity, optimism, positivity, protection, tom waits, value, words
Fear Is The Gateway To The Truth
Anger is just an aggressive form of fear.

One of the surest ways to be heard, but not actually listened to is to speak or act out of anger. While anger may sometimes result in the behavior we want from others in the short term, it has little ability to actually change their hearts and minds in our favor. Using anger as leverage to get what we want is a short-term and short-sighted solution to the real problem which is actually our own fear.

What we really want in our lives is a sense of control over our destinies, and to be loved and supported in our pursuit of that which we most desire. It is when we feel powerless over our own fates and when we feel unloved, unheard, unseen, and unsupported in who we are and what we want that we are most susceptible to feeling angry toward the people or circumstances we perceive as blocking our path or abandoning us along the way. It is this fear of being alone and unloved that is at the root of our anger, but we cannot resolve our anger until we address our fear and, if we want to be useful, effective, and capable of positive change in our lives and the world, that is exactly what we must do.

If we can recognize and admit that our anger is really a manifestation of fear, we begin to see that managing our lives around that which angers us will produce only superficial results at best. When we begin to dig deeper to the root causes of our fear, we can start to address those aspects of our lives that make us feel insecure about ourselves, our status, our futures. By looking inward in this way, we begin to understand that other people are neither where the problem starts nor where the solutions to those problems lie.

Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.

Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.

Follow Robert Van Valkenburgh and Holistic Budo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn.

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May 15, 2020

anger, control, destiny, fate, fear, introspection, love, purpose, self control, support

The Martial Way

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A Community Of Shared Intention

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The Obsolescence Of Old Beliefs And Behaviors

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A Garden Of Words And Deeds

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Fear Is The Gateway To The Truth

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