Boxing is often times associated with violence, but when I was introduced to the sport it brought me more peace than anything ever had before. I had to stop and ask myself, why? Why is a violent sport so meditative?
It’s because when you are boxing, there is no room in your mind to think of anything else. The endless daily thought processes, the analyzing, the judging…that all goes out the window when you need to focus on defending yourself. On top of that, there are so many things to learn as far as boxing technique and form goes that your concentration is directed on that the entire time. Boxing truly is an art.
When I first joined Merritt two years ago, I learned how to box from Ron Zwolak. His expertise in and passion for this sport made me love it from the start, but what kept me going was how helpful it was to me when I was going through a tough time. It silenced a lot of negativity in my life and helped train my mind to put life in perspective every single day…so much so that I switched my career over it. I now teach boxing for a living for Merritt, and it has been the biggest blessing life could ever offer me.
The author with fellow Merritt Clubs trainer and boxing coach Ron Zwolak
When new clients start training with me, I frequently get the line, “There are so many things to think about!” And it’s true. There are! But that’s the beauty of it and why boxing is like a meditation. It requires a big chunk of your mind’s energy to focus on the task at hand. The definition of meditation is “to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.” Although people don’t typically get into boxing purely for the sake of increasing spiritual awareness, I think it is often a by-product. I know it was for me, and I know now that it is possible and probable to find peace through boxing.
