Create Some Metal Clarity with Your Jiu-Jitsu Practice

By Fanatics Authors, September 10, 2018

Let BJJ Be Your Quiet Place, Where You Choke People

Have you ever really attempted to understand what “staying in the moment” really means? What does it mean to you? You’ve heard the phrase a million times, and you’re Instagram spews daily memes on the topic. There are countless resources on meditation, and training the mind to achieve a state where we can quiet the voices and just “be”. But this process does not come without challenges, and like other skills it takes practice to achieve a true state of just “being”. Sitting down in a quiet space by yourself is not the only way to get your yourself to a meditative state. There are different forms of meditation, and I think the one that we perceive as the most normal (quiet and alone) may be the most difficult one to start with.

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In my opinion, meditation isn’t defined as thinking about nothing, it’s an awareness of your mind and body and allowing your thoughts to come and go without chasing each one down a rabbit hole. Separation of yourself and the incessant thought stream is what were after, and if your first experience trying to meditate is sitting down in a quiet dark room with no sound, how do you think the voices in your head will react at first?

BJJ Can Provide a Respite from Daily Turmoil and Distraction

Training jiu-jitsu will create this exact same scenario of separation for you. People ask me all the time, why I train jiu-jitsu. One of the simple answers is, ‘because when I’m doing it, I don’t think about anything else”. Jiu-jitsu creates distance in my mind from my daily thought stream, work, struggles, and hardships. For me, it’s impossible to engage in any thought patterns outside BJJ while I’m practicing. Do you understand how healthy this can be for us?

We live in a time where our attention is constantly being pulled in multiple directions. Our families, our work, social media, the constant flow of communication. Our minds have never been more overloaded. Carving out a space of time for yourself where you can free your mind is so much more important than you might think. If you haven’t viewed your BJJ practice from this perspective, please give it some thought. I find yoga to be the same way. I would consider BJJ and yoga more active forms of meditation. I’m not saying that the more traditional methods of meditation are not effective, they definitely are. But more active forms of meditation may be more accessible to you, and if you currently train, you’ve already begun.

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Don’t forget about the role that BJJ can play in your mental health. Sometimes the last thing we want to do after a long day at work is go to BJJ class, this is common, and understandable. But its exactly what you need to clear your mind, and though it may seem like dumping another task in your lap, I assure you it’s a healthy choice every time. Training jiu-jitsu requires us to “stay in the moment” without much effort, be aware of that, and be grateful for the opportunity to quiet the voices, even if just for a short while.

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