Practicing Martial Arts does not only exist in exercises performed in the Dojo. In Far East (including Japan), there is a saying "Soku-Ze-...Dojo" which means "wherever you are, and whenever, every moment is an exercise and every place is a Dojo". Do you apply this ancient concept in your everyday life?
in as much as I am aware of my surroundings. other than that, no. I dont think of my training all day long.
Yes. Plus what Liam is stating... I scoot the cat across the floor with gentle foot sweeps (designed for ankle) in the morning when she is hungry and trying to walk between my legs. I open and hold doors with a knee up / knife hand in to out block push combo. I close my kitchen door and truck doors with back pivots all the time... push at the end... So, yes... my wife calls me a freak... but I do...
There is another simpler one: Hobo kore dojo, your life is your dojo. I like to say "Use the mundane as a chance to train". Examples would be
Absolutely! Every labor job I've had helps with strength conditioning. Every office job (never again) helps with speed & accuracy with finger striking (and some broken keyboards) and the "invisible chair" (which freaked coworkers out a bit) conditioning stance. Every service job helped with PATIENCE (goddamn assholes). Every restroom helps with kick control (I ain't touch that with my hands). And everywhere is an opportunity for awareness. When outside, an ambush can happen at anytime. When inside, every item in the room is a weapon (yes, even the post-its), every exit an escape, and every stranger a potential attacker ("first I will throw this phone to allow me to close distance, I'll smash your knee while bashing you in the temple with that stapler, then I will strangle you with the power cable from that computer to your left"). Everywhere is a Battlefield.
I think it's more prevalent to say that if your martial arts don't become so symbiotic with your everyday life then it's either not for you or you're doing something wrong.
You all know I'm not one to "cite" things when I reply on the forum, I typically reply based on my experiences/empirical feedback. But this thread lends itself to inspirational quotes such as: "The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and teaching them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi
I have done THAT a lot !!! ... especially the cooking pan, pizza pan, muffin pan would NOT get in the (beeeeep) cupboard ... I admitted nearly broke it ...
A nice slow and deliberate mae/mawashi geri with toes pulled back is good practice with cupboard doors
I like when the kids leave a balloon floating around in the house... an interesting target to try and be accurate with by the time you get to the 3rd or fourth strike.
I apply my martial arts during sex. They even have a song suitable for training - "Love Is A Battlefield" The solo katas can be murder, though ...