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Brandon Handley 0:01
What is going on? What is going on BJJ report, start a Captain's log, all those things,

Unknown Speaker 0:10
all those things.

Unknown Speaker 0:13
We are,

Brandon Handley 0:16
in turn a fan down here, I don't want the fan all the way up, I want the Phantom swamp like, I really want that on. We are, we always have the opportunity to create or consume, create or consume. And that's usually honestly, when I decide to want to make the decision to press the record button. I asked myself, do I do I? Do I feel like consuming or do I feel like creating? And do I feel that what

Unknown Speaker 0:55
I'm feeling?

Brandon Handley 0:56
It's up to us a nice golden retriever. Do I feel like creating are consuming and no matter what really, you're always creating, if you're consuming something, you're creating some thoughts about whatever it is that you're consuming. My idea this morning was though, let's wanna share some things. What are those things that I felt like sharing this morning? It was, it was on the tip of my tongue when I when I first started and strung the mic up. And I was listening to before I even got going here I was listening to start a song from so long ago, music goes better with you. And

Unknown Speaker 1:40
I just just

Unknown Speaker 1:41
love the song.

Brandon Handley 1:45
So let's see, I don't know that I've actually got something to share or create coming out of. That's that's kind of that's what it was on to my time you see a switch? Do you let it go? And it comes right back to you. So it was this idea that I know that I've shared before I'll share it again that BJJ going to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a part in part of my spiritual practice. It's this is that is one aspect of when I do it, that's spiritual dope for me. And I bring that up because of two things. One, I've got a friend that What's up, who has just started doing some BJJ and she's asked me herself, she goes, you know, she's only gone to a couple lessons so far. And she said, she'd said, What was it? About BJJ for you, Brandon, that that really made it something that really brought it home? What was it for you that really brought it home? And I told her I said you know big a big part of it is that when you're when you're learning it when you're beginning it. And at all times when you're when you're in it, that's one of the few times that I've been able to find myself to be 100% present and engaged. First of all, because you're trying not to die. Season theory, right? So your brain, your brain, your mind is all in the ego is at at play. And you so it's like Oh, you got my attention here he goes like all right. You got my attention. And that's especially especially in the very beginning. You're You're 100% engaged and you are in survival mode. And one of the reasons that you can only be in survival mode is because you don't know shit yet. When you're in BJJ and you're just getting started and the beauty of this is the 490 percent plus of the people that get started in BJJ they don't know shit, everybody starts from the same place. Even if you've watched it and read it, it's not the same as the actual experience. You cannot 100% intellectualized Brazilian jujitsu is not the same as having the experience. Hey, right. So you're in there and you're learning it. Everybody starts from the same place and as you're learning it You begin to put into practice the things that you're learning. So now, not only are you 100% engaged, and you're in survival mode now, because you have an idea of what is happening to you, because you have an idea of some of the expectations because you have an idea

of some of the possibilities.

Unknown Speaker 5:36
Thanks.

Brandon Handley 5:38
And a lot of times too, you've also engaged with the same partner over and over and over again, because you're practicing with people in your class. So, now you you begin to have an idea of how it's all working out. And you begin to be able to disengage the straight up survival mind the one that's freaking the fuck out being like, Oh my god, you're gonna choke? I don't know how to stop it. Oh, my God, I'm getting choked. I'm getting hurt as taptap armbar, tap, tap she, how did that happen? triangle. Come on, man, they got me in this one last time. So you began to realize, you know what's coming up, you begin to realize a either more offensive advantages that you have. And you can find and you begin to see those openings, your your awareness of the potential begins to expand. And as you see, the potential of things, like I said, start to slow down, who begins to breathe a little bit easier. And you begin to do things on purpose, with intent. And if you're hearing some of the language being used here, that you find is spirituality, you can begin to see that. That's the spiritual practice, the spiritual practices. Honestly, we all start from the same place. We all learn have different potentials from different angles from different teachers in different ways. And different schools of thought. I'm on my third school, third BJJ school. And each one has a different approach. I would not say that any one is better than the other. They all each have their own unique way of doing things, or they're different from each other. And I believe, at least as far as I can tell, each school has a different intent. And what are they? How are they training? How they want to train? How do they want to come across? What is their intent for that class? And so how else does that come across in spirituality, like the different religions, which are inspired by different teachers that have a different intent, a different intentional practice a different wave of achieving the same outcome. And I bring that up, because, you know, one of the other guys in there were joking around today. And he's bigger, stronger, faster, all the things and was the last last roll of the day. And I was looking for one more and I was like, God, anybody with you? And he's like, I was like, I was like, I'm just kidding, man. Like, I just know that, you know, whatever. You know, I was looking for some fun. He's like, We're not here for fun. Like we you know, we have we have different desired outcomes. I enjoy the physical activity I enjoy the spiritual practice is more technical, right? He's working on something different. And I get it. He's got a different desired outcome for today's practice. We have a different approach to what is happening here. But the the overarching question that Deb asked was, what is it that that really sparked in me and for me to think, think I was just, yeah, I was just rounding the corner out of my my awakening, you know, midlife crisis, awakening existential crisis, whatever you want to call it, right? I love the Self Realization foundation. It's a really great talk. And I don't know the guy's name. He's an old Swiss guy. I think he's passed away. Now he was giving a talk in the White House. I think in the 2000s, early 2000s. And what he says is, that's the reminder from God, you know that that's what you're seeking. That's that's

when when you realize that that's really what it is that you're seeking in life is that connection to God's universe, create creative source, all that the source is the source that creates worlds. That's what taps in. That's what taps in during that time.

Unknown Speaker 10:51
And

Brandon Handley 10:55
there are so many, again, different outcomes bidding was around the corner out of that, when I found Jiu Jitsu. And it wasn't until more artillery artillery thought about it as my spiritual practice. But it wasn't until that I'd heard a vedantic talk by Swami Safari, or your prayer Nanda. And he had just mentioned how, when it's a jujitsu, it's a fighting art. And when it becomes Judo, it becomes more of a spiritual practice. And I think that it was the same with like, you know, I'm making things up now, but definitely, definitely was like, you know, talking about the sword arts with qinzhou or kenjutsu, or, you know, the sword, sword arts, into kanjo becomes becomes a spiritual practice. And, for me, that that's what jujitsu is, it's a spiritual practice, it's an opportunity to also recognize and honor everybody, regardless of what belt they are, where they are along in the practice that comes in there to honor them and the effort that they put in. There is the ego. After a certain point, kind of checks out and jujitsu, checks back and everyone's won, don't get me wrong, I can't say that it's 100% checked out. But it checks out. Because you realize that you're all there for each other, you're all there to benefit one another. And you're there. As a school, and not so much as a singular unit. Yes, of course, you're there for your own good, Jessica, Portia there for your own practice. But there's a certain point where you're there. And it's because it's a school. And you're there for all the other people just like they're there for you. And I remember, I remember leaving the one day making the joke. Instead of saying, hey, thanks to everybody else. And, again, you gotta understand that I'm very tongue in cheek and just trying to have some fun. Like, you're all better today because of me. And again, tongue in cheek, but at the same time, we're all there for each other, we're all there to make each other better whether or not somebody totally dominated me. Or I got them in something, right? Because even this is this is another part of jujitsu, that even even the days that you seem to fail a lot. I just use that word, you fail, you get submitted. Those are the days that you can really learn a lot. Those are the days that you really had the opportunity understand what was your position? What was your approach? What is a way to not even necessarily avoid that? What is you know, avoided? Sure. So how can you How can you defend against it? How can you make sure that you don't get caught in that position? Again, what what are the countermeasures? So there's so much that whenever I think I still think to this day, it's one of the best things that startup in my life. I'd encourage anyone to pick it or some type of martial art. It's one of the only ones that I can think of that you know, is fully contact fully immersive and can offer this experience And the way that it does, you know, in such a way that when you leave and you're done, you're like this, you're inspired, you've got life coursing through your veins, you've accomplished, something you're working towards. Really not working towards anything except for continuous improvement. And there's still so much more that I keep going on. But so those those are some reasons that pop to mind. And they will they were inspired by questions that I was asked. Last night. I'm super excited again, for my friend Deb, who's getting started. She's feeling the love Jones and that one.

You know, she's thinking about having her son do it. Like that was another part of it, getting to do it with my children. And then today, you know, Anthony, you know, good dude, solid guy talking about you know, we don't do this for fun than I do. Right. And that's the other thing too. All of those approaches are open to you. You can go in and you can do it for any reason. Right, you can do it for fun, you can do it for competition, you can do it simply for physical therapy, you can do it for just learning yet another art anywho all those things, all those reasons are the reasons that I would recommend grabbing some BJJ for yourself. Alright, check you later.

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