I tried Brazilian Jiu Jitsu...
Consciously Learning Active Listening
Hello Everyone and Happy Monday.
I’m clearly in a hobby-uptaking move as I have just begun learning Brazilian jiu jitsu.
I know very little about the sport, but it involves trying to take hold of another person’s collar and take them down to the floor.
For me, however, as the new recruit, my hour was spent lying on the floor practicing three movements:
Getting onto my feet without using my hands
A type of bridge by arching my back
Circling the knees and head close together and back again while lying on the back
Doing these three moves constantly for an hour requires a lot of effort and patience.
You feel a little strange and it’s all so new it’s hard to know what is “correct” form.
I then look over to the rest of the group doing their partner work, and I see the same moves happening all the time but with someone involved.
It became very clear that these three foundation moves were re-training my instincts. Starting to build conscious habits so they become unconscious.
This mirrors what I tell my students when it comes to breath, voice, alignment and the whole shebang.
As adults, we spend such little time trying new things that bring us into that conscious place.
We are often told to find our “thing” what we are good at, and go from there.
But actually, that must lead to a very ego-led life deprived of conscious involvement.
If we all did what we were good at all the time, we hardly need to go back to the foundational moves that require active learning.
Without active learning, we stop practicing active listening.
Without active listening, we stop communicating in the present moment.
Cheers to consciously learning the foundations again and again and again!
Have a great week,
M x
