Fire and Ice

I gotta tell you, I have enjoyed the heck out of jiu-jitsu. Here’s how much I’ve enjoyed it: the school I go to, nearly since I’ve been there, had a Thursday class where fundamentals were being taught. I loved it because it was a way to refresh what I learned on Monday and Wednesday’s class. This class also was a way to move a little slower and not be as chaotic as going into free sparring after. It was a way for me to practice and not bring all the war and hell of hard rolling. Anyway, they cancelled this class recently as the guys running it felt the purpose of the class had run its course. And to wrap this paragraph up, the reason I know I enjoy jiu-jitsu is I was sad when this class was cancelled. Maybe it’s because I like my routine and this class was a part of it. Maybe I liked the personal thing I had set up where, during a normal week, I was going to class Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. But I do miss it.

As much as I enjoy jiu-jitsu, it is hell in a sense. They call it the gentle art and that is so, so hilarious. Calling jiu-jitsu “gentle” would be like calling me ‘Tiny” or calling Yao Ming “shorty”. A part of the reason I liked my routine is it allowed me ample time to train but ample time for recovery. I’ve mentioned before that sometimes I just ache the day after class. To counter this hell, this fire, I started finding some calm, some ice. In yoga.

I’m not new to yoga. A few years back I was waiting for an assignment that allowed me to go to a base gym where they put on the original P90X workout for 12-ish weeks straight.  One of the days was yoga. Apparently people who did P90X HATED yoga. It was an hour and a half long. The first part was flow, constant movement, and the second part was balance poses. I did it for a few weeks and I got more flexible and stronger. 

I officially tried yoga a few months later where a trainer at the gym, Matt, nicely asked me did I want to try it out. I said yes. Matt was a younger guy, muscular, fit. In 10 minutes I was POURING sweat and wondering how is that possible when I was just standing there! Yoga kicks your butt and it challenges you to get the best body you can in the realm of flexibility first, then strength. 

Many guys omit this in their training. Muscles get the attention. But flexibility is so needed. So is cardio. In my case, I feel jiu-jitsu is covering cardio and strength. That’s the fire. That’s the hell. That’s the war. But yoga is balancing it out for me. It’s the peace. It’s the calm. Here’s hoping for a balanced, better me.