Tension with Relaxing

空手的身体の根幹は，「締め」と「呼吸」と「重心（中心軸）」である。攻防の間，体軸のバランスを常に保ちつつ，呼吸と締めを綿密に連動させる。しかしここで「締め」と言った場合，筋肉を最大限に硬直させるという意味ではない。身動きできないほど固まってしまっては致命的である。インパクトの瞬間は呼吸とともに締めるけれども，直前直後は締まりつつ緩める必要がある。しかし，緩めると言っても完全に脱力するわけではない。身体全体へ意識を万遍なく向けることで，常時，筋肉が緩やかに緊張した状態を保つ。内側の身体と外側の（敵を含む）環境へ，万遍なく意識を向け，一つのところに注意を留めない。次第に内と外の区別は無くなる。そうすれば，今ここが全体として，締めながら緩んだ状態へと向かう。まさにマインドフルネス的状態である。ただしかし，これは，言うは易く行うは難し，であり，空手修行，ひいては武道修行，あるいは坐禅にも言える魅力であるとともに，武道や禅において永遠に求め続けられる境地だろう。

The core principles of karate-oriented body are "tension", "breathing", and "center of balance". During attacking and blocking, we constantly maintain the balance of body as well as operate the tension of body and the breathing together closely. But, importantly, "tension" stated here does not mean maximum muscle hardening. It is fatal to harden our body at the extent that we can not move at all. Though we should tension our body with breathing (exhaling) momentarily at the time of the impacts of offense and defense, we need to continue to both tension and relax our body simultaneously, before and after the moments of punching, kicking, and blocking. Relaxing here is, however, not to relieve all power of our body thoroughly. We should maintain the mild tension of muscles continuously by paying equal attention to all over the body. It is important not to focus on one thing but pay even consciousness to both the inside of the body (self) and the environment (including enemies) as the outside of the self. Gradually, it is getting to enable the inside and outside not to be distinguished. If so, here-now as the whole would become a state mixed with tension and relaxing together. That is just a mode of mindfulness. But, it is easier said than done. It is an attraction for practitioners of not only karate or budo but also zazen, and simultaneously, a state that budo or zazen practitioners are eternally seeking for.