Probably my favorite subject in the world is the conundrum of cultivating peace of mind.
Being BJJ is an activity I highly enjoy, I’d love to say it influences well-being in positive way, but at this point I see it as a skill-set mastered through practice. Nothing more, nothing less.
Lest the reader chalk this up to my own ignorance at not having learned anything over 15 years, I’m well aware of other martial arts instructors claiming a wellness-martial art connection, with which I reference a Dalai Lama talk where he pointed out after receiving applause for a statement that American audiences are notoriously quick to applaud as if that meant something (nothing like patting yourself on the back for watching some one talk).
Taking the above into account, the first step here is intellectual honesty. Lets not cheapen hours of earnest BJJ research with empty feel good words, nor assume well-being has anything to do with something as rudimentary and rote as hours logged in a given field.
Going back and re-reading this post, I’m thinking that perhaps this topic isn’t something I should tackle, but will forge on because there are so many well-meaning, but in my experience misguided ideas out there surrounding a conncetion between wellness and Jiu-Jitsu.
Thoughts? =)
The Bat Blog 
June 13, 2012 at 7:37 pm |
I think the root of any self-help book on relationships is “you can’t love someone else, until you love yourself”. Its a pretty simple concept but I really think there is a good majority of people out there in the world that don’t like their lives, and at best are unsure if they like themselves. Speaking from many experiences with turbulent relationships, its close to be impossible to love someone who is war with themselves.
I think the same is true for Jiujitsu. If you are at peace with yourself and in a good place, then jiujitsu can definitely enhance your life for the better. The challenges it provides both mental and physical have many benefits. But if your life is in total disorder (like many of the women I dated) and you are not happy with yourself, Jiujitsu won’t help you.
You gotta love yourself before you can love Jiujitsu.
June 14, 2012 at 8:35 am |
Josh,
Yeah, this topic is beyond the scope of this blog, but is more near and dear to my heart than BJJ (or more accurately encompasses BJJ as small part of the whole).
A big problem is marketers/media hit people on every side possible, and find more and more ways each day, with ideas that are antithetical to wellness (buy, buy, buy, more, more, more, new, new, new). I watched a Bill Hicks documentary the other day were he told the audience that anyone involved in marketing should go kill themselves. *lol*
So, number one, you really have to be self-aware and trust your own instincts, which is a challenge when you have thousands of messages each day leading you away from your heart an onto whatever shiny object dances for our senses at any given time.
Also, the strongest human instinct is to do what’s familiar, so the ‘want’ to change has to be strong. Otherwise we’re going to find better and better reasons to justify self-sabotage. You have to be willing to dive into uncharted waters. How many people really, I mean really want to do this?
The key for me has been an increased understanding of the role thought has in shaping perception. It feels so real, but doesn’t carry anymore weight than a dream. The problem is because those thoughts and the resulting feelings we have are so close (I-MAX theatre on steriods), it’s challenging for us to allow space enough to see this process for what it is, as insights by nature can’t be forced or learned in any conventional sense.
Love couldn’t be anything other than infinitely simple and complex at the same time.
I totally agree with you that wellness influences BJJ in a positive way. The problem is when you look to BJJ for wellness, you go back the classic fallacy of looking in the wrong direction.
Let BJJ be a rich and dynamic field ripe for exploration, but don’t turn it into a solution to something that by nature it can’t be designed to solve.
“When you look in the mirror you’re looking at one of the wisest people on earth.” ~Sydney Banks
June 14, 2012 at 10:27 am |
I don’t think you can separate who you are completely from what you do. And since 95 percent of our brain is devoted to movement, and the ties between movement and health/happiness are scientifically sound, I’d say that BJJ can absolutely improve one’s peace of mind. That’s not limited to jiu-jitsu, though.
Going back to how much of our brain is devoted to, and stimulated by, movement, turning to something like BJJ (or any other movement-based activity) for wellness could be the smartest thing someone does.
Just my two cents.
June 14, 2012 at 11:42 am |
Mike,
The problem with equating movement with happiness, is now I’ve made mental health conditional, while peace of mind is unconditional.
Is a heartbeat while sleeping any more precious than one while rolling?
Then there is the question of what is the relationship between mind and the brain? Compared to what we know and what we don’t know about the brain, I think most self-respecting neuro-scientists would tell you as of yet we don’t know much, especially when dealing something as slippery as thought as a principle.
Going back to mental health, my favorite Krishnamurti statement is that the root of human problems essentially lies in the idea of psychological becoming. Once you buy into ‘becoming’ you’re well on the road to living in your head for a better past or future.
Thanks for the comment.
June 14, 2012 at 10:54 am |
Debated whether to post this, but here is what originally prompted this entry:
“12 Commandments of Jiu-Jitsu by Carlos Gracie Sr.
1. Be so strong that nothing can disturb the peace of your mind.
2. Talk to all people about happiness, health, and prosperity.
3. Give to all your friends the feeling of being valued.
4. Look at things by the enlightened point of view and update your optimism on reality.
5. Think only about the best, work only for the best, and always expect the best.
6. Be as just and enthusiastic about others victories as you are with yours.
7. Forget about past mistakes and focus your energy on the victories of tomorrow.
8. Always make those around you happy and keep a smile to all people who talk to you.
9. Apply the largest amount of your time on self-improvement and no time in criticizing others.
10. Be big enough so you can feel unsatisfied, be noble enough so you can feel anger, be strong enough so you can feel fear, and be happy enough so you can feel frustrations.
11. Hold a good opinion about your self and communicate that to the world, but not through dissonant words but through good works.
12. Believe strongly that the world is in your side, as long as you stay loyal to the best of yourself.
While I think these are well intended, if you’re well within yourself you’re going to do all these things naturally. Effortful niceties means you’re coming from the place of an ass.
Secondly, what do these things have to do with an armlock? You’re coming to me to learn BJJ, not to learn how to be a man. Further, if you don’t know how to be kind and play well with others you have no business being on the mat. This is BJJ, not a counseling center.
June 15, 2012 at 8:33 am |
Trying to achieve peace of mind analytically is like trying the capture the process of light reflecting of our eyes in real-time in order to see better.
This is why people who consider themselves ‘intellectuals,’ or worse still, take great pride in their intellect have such a rough time here. Picking apart a thought or feeling is like trying to nail jello to a wall.
I type ‘the heart has it’s own logic’ knowing it makes smarter, more rational people cringe. ;o)
A pompous ass is still a pompous ass, just with a black belt, which in some cases makes things worse because they now have another reason to feel superior. To which I say ‘great job,’ before leaving to hang out with people for whom being human is enough.
June 15, 2012 at 12:27 pm |
The list has some very genuine and great advice. I think that if we were all to pick just one item from that list and make an effort to practice that we would all see a benefit. But just like Jiujitsu, its not gonna make you a good person. I think that if someone was content with themselves and who they are then they will be exhibiting the traits listed above.
June 15, 2012 at 2:49 pm |
Right, author George Pransky uses the metaphor of all boats rising with the tide. If we are content and present within ourselves, all those things can’t help but be there.
I gave a Michael Jackson CD away (Thriller) to some kids yesterday and would somewhat resent the idea of me doing it to check off my ‘good deed’ list for the day, be a ‘better’ person, or fulfill some kind of practice.
I guess the issue is confusing symptoms of peace of mind for peace of mind itself, and trying to reverse-engineer the process.
June 16, 2012 at 7:41 am |
Re-reading that list, a lot of those things seem pretty co-dependent. I can love Josh, but it’s up to Josh to make himself feel valued and happy.
As stated before I don’t believe in psychological self-improvement. ‘Self’ is pure potential. Consciousness is, mind is, thought is. There is nothing to improve. It’s like hiring landscape architects to the nothern California redwoods.
Part of the confusion is we do have to work, train, practice to improve a skill.
This is why BJJ and the sort of discussion we are having here don’t fit together well. You’re coming to me to learn BJJ, not to learn how to be yourself (which again isn’t a A+B=C learned proposition so much as not being a drama queen).