Upon hearing the instruction ‘zazen’, which mean to assume the correct zen posture and ‘mokuso’, which means to begin meditating, we begin our meditation practice. Before the class begins we need to prepare our mind, body and spirit for learning the martial arts. Through the posture and breathing method we center ourselves, clear our mind of distractions and focus on the present, preparing to give a full 100% effort for the duration of the class. Through the relaxation and tension of the lower abdominal muscles, which the Japanese called the hara/tanden, we learn to increase our energy, alertness and focus. In traditional terms by the concentration on the center/hara and alternating tensing and relaxing the muscles correctly in coordination with the breathing, we are learning a method to build more spirit and energy. Meditation is also one of the methods we use to acquire knowledge and understanding of ourselves and subsequently knowledge and understanding of others. After class we need to acknowledge that class is over and we begin to return to a normal, calm, peaceful state. We often use this time to simply sit and breathe without thought and just absorb the moment. We may also use this time to reaffirm an objective. The trick is to use the concentration on the breath exclusively as a method to rid the mind of unnecessary thoughts that intrude upon our practice. We develop the discipline through this practice, which takes time, and we learned that becoming empty is actually fully absorbed. Empty but full. The practice at the dojo, due to time constraints, is introductory and can be developed more with discipline and extra practice. For a fighter, learning to control their thinking and emotions is a critical component in their champion quest.