Finding balance of mind, body

By Kim Sun-ae

In my early 30s, I learned taekwondo, a Korean martial art. Students in my class were all elementary school children except two in middle school and me, the only adult.

When my master fastened a white belt around my waist in the first class, I immediately took on a beginner’s mindset.

I spent most of my life at a desk. It would be better to spend more time in nature ― a vegetable garden, a forest or the sea. Since childhood, I loved reading books. And when I grew up, I have edited and translated books.

My love for books has not changed. But I wanted to take good care of my body and mind at the same time. That was why I chose taekwondo as a new exercise.

Exercise was a nice way to look into and change myself. My master, who was seven years younger than me, made us do various exercises for increasing strength, saying that basal physical fitness is important in any exercise.

I did not imagine that I would do sit-ups and push-ups at a taekwondo studio.

Nevertheless, with my master’s hard but benevolent training, I began to find a balance between the body and the mind little by little. That process was not easy, but fun.

The master said to me, “Forty sit-ups.”

His plan was ambitious, but I became exhausted after 20. The master, holding my ankles, said strictly, “Five more.”

While I exhaled a rough breath after managing to finish sit-ups, the master said, “Exercise is not effective if you stop just because it’s hard.” A deep meaning was hidden behind his strict face.

Thanks to his training, a wonderful change occurred in my life; confidence in my physical strength grew gradually through exercise. The body could change.

One day, I was jumping rope in class. The master told me to skip rope 200 times. My heavy legs felt tight, and I wanted to stop in the middle. But I couldn’t, because the master was watching me with arms akimbo.

At one moment, however, I stopped pushing the discomfort and accepted it as it was. Since then, I felt peaceful like magic. My legs also became more comfortable. Like a lotus flower blooming on a pond, a smile crept over my face. I continued to jump rope believing in myself.

These days, I am pursuing the balance of body and mind, taking walks. When I walk on a dirt path, my mind and body, which stiffened due to long hours of working in an office, begin to soften again. Walking slowly, I looked warmly at least once at all things that will vanish soon.

I have been happy on the hill near my house that I walk sometimes. I smiled while walking through the cosmos that grew thickly on both sides of the path, and looking at purple berries on each thin beautyberry branch.

This winter, when I was on the way down the hill, a baby bird was pecking at a tree branch with its tiny beak. The top of the little bird’s head was white, and both sides of its head were black. It had gray wings and an orange belly. I hoped that the bird would live happily for the time given.

During a walk today, I stayed quite a while in front of bridal wreaths whose small flowers bloomed in clusters. Before the pure white flowers, I made up my mind afresh to live a harmonious life.

The writer lives in Seoul. Her blog address is https://blog.naver.com/dancinglf.