“I believe in the idea of a healthy body and a healthy mind.”

Today we are sharing an excerpt from the GB Online course Life Lessons with Master Carlos Gracie Jr. where the founder of Gracie Barra discusses different aspects of Jiu-Jitsu and life philosophy.

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The body and spirit
” I believe in the idea of a healthy body and a healthy mind. ” The whole thing. I work for the whole,” says Master Carlos Gracie Jr.

“It doesn’t matter having one good part doing well if another part is broken. Because if that is the case, you will have to work twice as hard or half of what you should.

Following my spiritual beliefs, I think our body works as a temple for our spirit. We came into this world, our spirit came into this world in order to evolve. So it needs the body to be able to go through that. I believe that if I was supposed to carry some kind of disease I would have had it by now, so I could ‘pay’.

If I was born with a healthy body why wouldn’t I work and appreciate that body? So my spirit can improve peacefully and my body can enjoy the good things.”

Master Carlos goes on to share his thoughts on older Jiu-Jitsu practitioners giving up on our disciplines and having to change our expectations and approach.

“Sometimes I think people make excuses. They give up on their willpower because it’s too hard to keep being disciplined. I hear things like ‘my body is hurt, I can’t train well. But Jiu-Jitsu gives you many training options.

Of course, if you want to train the same way that you trained when you were younger and be competitive…your body will feel it. My body would feel it too. If I start to train in a way that requires a lot from my body, it would make me feel weakened. For that kind of training,.. but I could easily accept many other training options.

I just can’t fool myself. I might try to fool others, I might be fooling others, but I can’t fool myself. I’m worried about satisfying myself, not others.

Training to your own potential
I have my own potential. I had one before and I might have a different one now and another one in the future. This is life. It doesn’t matter who you once we’re. The problem is that people keep their minds on what they used to be, and refuse to accept life’s cycle. Remember that if someone is on top, he/she won’t be on top forever. He/she will fall. And when that happens, it’s almost like a new beginning. But the ego is not prepared for that.

Most people who were kings want to be kings forever. But my friends, keep in mind that each one of us has our own era. People get older and have to work around new possibilities.”

When we look at jiu-jitsu in the long term, we must take care of our physical body and adapt our mental approach to where we find ourselves in our physical capacity.

See also on GB Blog: GB Women: Prof. Jo Thomson on Dealing with Challenges

GB Women: Prof. Jo Thomson on Dealing with Challenges

Writer: Mark Mullen, Gracie Barra Black Belt