"Brazilian Jiu Jitsu makes my soul sing!"--you may have heard it before, and it's no doubt a little corny--but for me, it's true! BJJ has been one of the best surprises and most worthwhile endeavors of my life!
When I first came to Evolve in 2005, I started in our PDS program and wanted nothing to do with the thick gi and the sweat and close contact of BJJ. Our instructors, and my husband who'd been at Evolve since 2004, encouraged me to try it, and I wound up discovering a sport that today I feel fortunate to share with others as a BJJ instructor at Evolve.
I'm a lawyer and a mom and I find the same things about my "real" life are some of the same things I love about BJJ--an infinite amount of things to be learned, a new challenge each day--whether it be physical, mental or emotional, and the opportunity to reach inside myself and find something I may not quite be sure I have. I've always been a confident person, but training in BJJ, even after a night when I feel I haven't done my best, always makes me feel like I'm ready to take on the world the next day (even if I am a little sore!). Now, BJJ is such a part of my life, that I find myself drawing on its aspects to help me in my work as a lawyer. Sometimes, when I face a difficult or challenging situation, I can look back to the night or the week before and think to myself, "Well, win or lose, if I have the guts to grapple my tough and experienced team-mates, I have the guts to do just about anything and I'll take any challenge on with gusto, so bring it! I'm ready!"
There are two other things in particular that I'd like to share with people reading my bio. (1) For women, BJJ is the most incredible sport ever. It brings confidence in the way you carry yourself to the world, a level of fitness and strength that you can't get at a traditional gym, and a comradery with others that you can only get through the trust and hard work that you experience on the mat. (2) For all "athletes", in BJJ all you have to do is want to learn and work hard. You don't have to be particularly fast, or strong, or big, or nimble. All of these help, of course, but you learn to do BJJ your way and you develop your own game. I consider my "game" to be one that employs the tactics of the tortoise, not the hare. I don't have lightening quick reflexes or super human strength, but I have found with practice and commitment, with taking care of my body, I'm making constant improvement toward my goal of being as good at BJJ as I possibly can be.
So each and every week, I look forward to some of my most fulfilling hours--those when I get the chance to learn from others or to help others learn BJJ. I hope those who've taken the time to read this long bio will feel the love I have for the sport, and if you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and come to a BJJ class--or three or four or twelve or......!
