A man, long and lean, walks out of the pre-dawn and into the neon light of a Jiu Jitsu academy.
A visitor. He’s all California sun and surf, amplified by 380 milligrams of caffeine.
Warm-ups begin. The unofficial ones where people stretch and roll around and groan in the minutes leading up to class.
The visitor asks about the official warm-ups, a topic of controversy. The instructor explains the plan.
The visitor responds:
At my school, I put everyone through a stretching routine. I could do that if you’d like.
The instructor laughs and says no thanks.
***
A class follows. It oscillates between structure and freedom the way Jiu Jitsu oscillates between structure and freedom.Â
The visitor struggles at times. At others, he veers off course, offers opinions to his gracious but knowing training partner.Â
When he rolls, he rolls without conviction. But he doesn’t know that yet. Will he ever? He knows only the good-vibes affect he has cultivated.
Class ends.
Have you been to the temple up the road?, the visitor asks. It’s amazing, man! They have a 50-foot gold statue out front. People come all the way from India to see it—you’ve got to see it!
You mean the one the FBI raided a few months back?, says the instructor.
I know, I know, says the visitor. Slave labor or whatever. But it’s beautiful, dude. I’ve never seen anything like it.
And neither has the instructor.
Category: Inner Work
Tag: Awareness
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