Mental Preparation
In order to develop mental and spiritual discipline, Master Schreiber meditated regularly while training for senior mastership.
There are several methods of meditation and various reasons for doing it. Senior Master Schreiber's approach is to sit comfortably and without distraction while focusing on his breath and trying to clear his mind of all thoughts other than an awareness of the feeling of breathing. His purpose is to calm himself and to remain present and self-aware.
For more specific information and instruction on this form of meditation, click here. The Calm app offers helpful guided meditation sessions.
Meditation is associated with a variety of spiritual practices, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Christianity and Judaism.
As a martial artist, Senior Master Schreiber thinks of meditation as being similar to the kihap. When we kihap upon executing a strike or kick, we use our breath to focus all of our attention and energy on a single moment and a single point of impact. Meditation similarly uses breath as a focal point, but that single moment is extended over a period of time.
During the year of training for senior mastership, Master Schreiber also dedicated some time each month to writing and reflecting on the 9 attributes of mastership:
You can click on the links above to see the essays Master Schreiber wrote on each of these attributes when he was training to become a master.