Returning as an adult

Has anyone left karate after their youth, and returned as an adult (stiffer, fatter, and likely more tired, perhaps with the accumulated injuries of a life so far lived, which haven't healed like they might have when you were young)?

I'm thinking of getting back to it. My old dojo no longer exists. Well, technically, I think one student is trying to keep the dream alive, but my shihan has since retired, and I think for a fresh start I'd like to try something different.

There is a dojo for a similar kind of karate not far from me, and just a little farther than that is a school for Wing Chun, which would be totally different, but could be exciting for that reason. In a perfect world I'd like to try them both, but who knows how much time I'll be able to put in as I enter my 40s, you know?

I do know though, that I never felt better at the state of my fitness (the fact it was while I was young is not lost on me, I should add), and I was never better stretched-out, toned, reflexive, you know...my cardio was in decent shape, I could take a punch, and so forth. I also miss the sincerity of it, and the discipline. I stopped karate a long time before Facebook and the iPhone and badge notifications and brainrot and AI slop and algorithmic attention-plundering came along, and I am really enamored by the idea of kneeling in a room with a bunch of people, none of whom have their phone on them, and seriously shutting our eyes and breathing, reflecting, feeling something meaningful and, if you will, spiritual together. Nothing like that seems to exist in modern American society, except perhaps for those who are religious.

Just curious whether anyone else has given it a try, or is thinking of it themselves. I may drag my brother back with me. That could be epochal, since he and I did karate together the first time around, and now he's got a kid we could bring with us. I think he would get all the same benefits I think I would get, from the improved fitness, to the moment of slowness and concentration in a world full of distraction and business.

I know this is a small community, but I hope some folks are still looking for new posts to engage with. I figure Lemmy is what you make it, and I'm gonna try to contribute here.