BJJ is the Way

I recently embarked on a new journey as a student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). I had kept my practice quiet from most of my social circle as I focused on getting acclimated to such a new and exciting world. I decided to break my silence after getting my first stripe. Because of this, I have a lot of pent up thoughts about my experience with the martial art that I would like to share. I’ll probably make multiple posts about BJJ, but for now, we begin with the Tao.

BJJ is the Way. And what exactly do I mean by that? As a Taoist, I like to view my reality from the dualistic lens of the Yin and the Yang. Now, I do not simply associate the Yin Yang as bad and good like many, but rather as chaos and order. Yin as chaos is the unfamiliar/unpredictable, whereas Yang as order is the familiar/predictable. Humans are very contradictory as we crave both chaos and order. If everything was super predictable, we would be miserably bored and seek any type of novelty, whereas, if everything was chaotic all the time, we would burn out from stress and seek predictable comfort. Thus, to live a healthy life, it is advised to have a balance of both. “The Way” is a term that describes the phenomenon of experiencing an ideal amount of chaos and order in a way (redundant, I know) that connects us with the greater wisdom of the Tao; it is the best place for growth. One foot in certainty, the other in uncertainty as the psychologist Jordan Peterson says. This leads people to achieve what psychologists call a ‘flow state’, where one loses their sense of self and time because the task at hand is so engaging and suited to their skills. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the epitome of flow state. When I enter the gym I practice at, nothing else matters in the world but Jiu Jitsu. Three dualistic elements I believe are part of the puzzle of my newfound obsession with BJJ: the aforementioned chaos vs order, mind vs body, and intimacy vs enmity.

Chaos vs Order

I have been practicing BJJ for about three months now. When I first started, it was pure chaos. I did not know anyone aside from my cousin who got me to join. I had never practiced any kind of martial art and I had no idea how practice was structured. The beauty of life is that we humans can make order of any chaos. With attention, patience, guidance and reflection, I was capable of making the gym a place of comfort. When I enter the gym now, I have a sense of what to expect: friendly people, warmups, a learning lesson, followed by rolling (the BJJ equivalent of sparring as a boxer), and ended with high fives. However, each class is also accompanied by an equal degree of unfamiliarity. Each time I roll with someone, I have no idea of what is to follow. I could get choked, I could make someone tap, I could get kicked in the nuts by mistake; the possibilities are endless. Due to this balance, BJJ demands my immediate attention. It helps me forget about the stressors of my day-to-day life and just lets me be in the moment. Considering I have so much more to learn, I theorize that BJJ will remain interesting for the years to come.

Mind vs Body

I had no idea how cerebral BJJ was before starting. The nerd in me quickly recognized it as chess meets yoga. There are ways of using your body for leverage against your opponent in a way that maximizes your chance of survival and/or victory. What takes BJJ to a whole other level than chess is that there is way more possibilities. In chess, each player is set with the same pieces and board space, however in BJJ, each opponent has their own mentality, skillset and style in addition to their own unique body. In my gym alone, I have rolled with people over a foot taller than me, with people over one hundred pounds on me, with people twice my age, and with countless of other unique assets. It is incredible. Rolling forces you to see your body as an arsenal of chess pieces. Certain angles and positions you put your body in during a roll are extremely important and could make or break the entire roll. This forces you to fixate on how your body is oriented. It connects your mind to your body the same way yoga does. Ever since starting BJJ, I have become hyper aware of my posture and movements throughout the day. In a world of constant stimulation with distractions, it can be easy to lose touch with one’s body which could lead to negative health repercussions.

Intimacy vs Enmity

Then you have the action itself. As alluded, it is wildly savage. You are going toe to toe with another individual and simulating a fight for your life. When you roll with another person, you both escape your realities into a primal consciousness that lies deep within our being. If you notice, kids tend to be very handsy by nature, but we socialize them to be more civil (for good reasons) so we often lose that part of our nature in the modern world. I am a very agreeable person by nature and do not like to hurt people, but I would be lying if I said that there wasn’t something extremely satisfying about getting someone to submit during a roll. However, what I find fascinating is that BJJ’s style of fighting is very intimate. You are gripping, mounting, choking, pressing and essentially invading each other’s personal space to the max. It is a super interesting dichotomy. For five minutes, you battle like your life depends on it and then afterwards you slap and fist bump one another with respect and camaraderie. There’s a connection being built there that feels good. You and your rolling partner are voluntarily altering each other’s consciousness while simultaneously syncing to each other’s minds as you battle. If that doesn’t build an instant bond, I don’t know what else will.

I believe these three dualistic elements is why I have become enthralled with BJJ. And it is not just me; you can see it with the other gym members who show up consistently. I still get giddy before every practice and afterwards, I leave home with a type of high that I have not felt anywhere else. What really sticks out to me about my gym is that the members appear notably happier than the average person I encounter in my day-to-day life. There is undoubtedly a special force at play in BJJ that makes it feel deeply meaningful. BJJ is the Way. But if you’re not into the spiritual hippie shit like me, then let us say that BJJ is the way to a better life. In a world that seems to become more turbulent and disconnected everyday, consider BJJ an antithesis to the madness. It is great exercise, it is social, it is cerebral, it is rewarding and it is empowering.