Martial Arts as a Mindfulness in Motion:
A Neurocognitive View Volume 1 - Issue 3
Bruna Brandão Velasques1*, Guaraci Ken Tanaka1, Renata Castro2, Adalgiza Mafra Moreno2, Alair Pedro Ribeiro1,
Silmar Teixeira3, Victor Hugo Bastos3, Marcos RG de Freitas4, Acary Bulle Oliveira5 and Marco Orsini1,3
1Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil
2Nova Iguaçu University, Brazil
3Piaui Federal University, Brazil
4Medicine Department, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil
Mindfulness programs have given high visibility to bring the
impact of the practice through a well-structured protocol that can
be replicated over the years offering many clinical benefits as well
as a greater understanding of neurophysiological mechanisms
from immediate and long-term practice [1-5]. Since then, several
protocols have been created to give specificity to the public
suffering from mental health problems such as depression and
anxiety (MBSR, MBCT), addicts (MBRP), eating disorders (MBEAT),
pain and chronic illness (MBPM). With this, Mindfulness has
gained great popularity for a healthy population [6].
Thus, many studies have emphasized the structures and
neurophysiology that Mindfulness practice promotes [7-9]. Based
on these results, new protocols have been studied through body
movement. The basis is that the body becomes an excellent anchor
for maintaining attention, inasmuch attentional flexibility develops,
the attentional process becomes faster and more natural [10]. An
important factor in this finding is the main point that Mindfulness
neurophysiology integrates different areas at different times of
practice [11]. In the case of focused attention practice, attentional
neural networks are present until distraction occurs, where more
medial networks (default mode network) become more prominent
[12,13]. As this distraction comes out, a deeper network (salience
network) begins to activate so you can then decide to return to the
focused object [14,15].
This neural flow became known as the neurocognitive model
[11,14] that develops (neuroplasticity) throughout the training
(hours/year of practice) [16].
Therefore, Mindfulness is no longer understood only as a
practice of meditation or protocol but becomes a cognitive skill
or mental training that develops as these neural networks adjust
[17]. Then, body awareness is the starting point in the development
of Mindfulness due to sensory experience improves the focus
[18]. Thus, studies based on martial arts have been studied using
Mindfulness neurophysiology as a major aim [19,20]. Studies using
the Tai Chi Chuan [21] and Chi Kung [22] Mindfulness attitude had
a great impact on research, showing important neurophysiological
changes that corroborated with current findings that posterior
areas (parietal cortex) of the cortex play a key role in practitioners’
development [23-25]. Conscious movements have become a
practical way of training Mindfulness, while martial arts have
been an important way of maintaining these practices, considering
the synchronization of movement with the Mindfulness attitudes
described above.
Karate studies, for example, have gained prominence as training
develops cognitive aspects such as attention, working memory,
decision making [17,26,27]. The repetition of the movement
seems to be an important way to manage the cognitive skill in this
learning process, which is associated with a subtle recognition of
the movement [26] with lower activity of the brainpower [28,29]
and improved body balance [30]. Moreover, studies have shown
improvement in cognitive processing speed in older practitioners
[31] which related to neural efficiency [28,32]. More studies are
necessary to explore the efficacy of martial arts training in the
cognitive aspects, whereas Mindfulness has shown an important
factor to link the physical activity into cognitive abilities.