The discipline of rest

You cannot do what we do without rest.  However, for most of us who pursue the way of Budo karate (or anyone who strives for excellence), taking a rest can often feel like laziness.  After all, sitting around isn't very productive, right?  

Whether you're resting due to injury or for recovery, there is a discipline to it.  Committing to rest is important and often has to be a conscious decision.  There are times, especially when I don't want to, that I have to tell myself to sit down.  There are times when all I want to do is go for a run, but I know the absolute best thing would be a short nap.  As the expression goes, "Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most."  What we want most is excellence, and to reach an elite level in anything, you've got to practically schedule rest, recovery, and retreat time.

Resting doesn't have to be idle sitting around though...in fact it shouldn't be like that at all.  Resting can actually be quite active and take the form of things like camping, hiking, or reading a book.  As martial artists, we can be tempted to focus solely on the physical training and preparations.  We cannot neglect the mind and spirit.  For that reason, I spend a lot of my periods of rest either reading or reflecting.

You can't GO, GO, GO.  You'll never last without resting.  Sure, it sounds like a difficult thing for a lot of us to do but, nothing good comes easy.  Don't waste your rest!