Adding Yoga to BJJ

I often think about how long jiu jitsu has been practiced. In its modern form, I’ve seen Brazilian Jiu Jitsu evolve from a very niche sport that only the tiniest handful of people had ever heard of, to one of the biggest martial arts (and sports) in the world. It was really tough training—mean-looking dudes would mean-mug you when you walked in (and I mean dudes almost exclusively), and every live rolling session (what we call sparring in jiu jitsu) would be a fight for life or death.

Most people would say that BJJ goes back around a hundred years, to when the early Japanese judo influence reached Brazil. They’d also say that jujutsu or ju jitsu (often spelled differently in order to differentiate it from BJJ) has been around for hundreds of years, and that grappling arts have probably been around for far longer.

Yoga makes jiu jitsu seem like a newborn baby.

Originating some 5,000 years ago, yoga has made its own journeys through time, evolving into a very effective practice for lowering stress, increasing strength and flexibility, and helping to keep joints healthy.

There's something incredibly exciting about bringing these two worlds together. Both arts are steeped in tradition and discipline, but both often attract less traditional thinkers, those with a creative flair looking for an exercise that doesn’t include more boring, repetitive movements.

Instead, the focus is on perfecting the individual art, not in how hard you’re working out.

Adding a yoga program isn’t just about adding a service to our gym, but it also fulfills a longtime ambition of the owners and managers of Revolution BJJ: to help our students to become well rounded humans as well as martial artists.

Best of all, the person to spearhead this journey seems to have entered our world at the perfect time, and she herself is a force to be reckoned with—a lifer in the world of yoga, and someone whose story mirrors the grassroots ethos of our gym. Let's meet Tia Platte.

Tia Platte: A Lifelong Journey in Yoga

Tia’s story, like mine, is hardly one of overnight success. Starting as a dance major at Tidewater Governor's School for the Arts., it was here that she first encountered yoga—an elective class that unexpectedly became her refuge amid grueling dance training.

My story here rhymes: I found judo in January of 1997 as an elective class, and even though I didn’t need any objectives to graduate by then, I was intrigued by a college class for judo, and thought it would provide some balance to mosh pits, beer, restaurants, and painting classes.

Tia continued her exploration of yoga in college, while majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography at VCU. From her first class at Yoga Source, she was hooked, and soon enough, she was teaching her own yoga classes at various gyms around Richmond, including the very VCU Cary Street gym where she was a student.

Over the course of 20 years, Yoga Source became more than just a yoga studio for Tia—it became a laboratory for a lifetime of learning, teaching, and community building. Starting off as a group yoga instructor, Tia worked her way up through the ranks, expanding her skill set to eventually become the owner and director.

The pandemic was brutal for all of us, and I ended up saying goodbye to one business myself (US Grappling, still cited by many jiu jitsu practitioners as the best tournament they’ve ever participated in). Yoga Source fell victim to covid, and ultimately closed its doors in 2022. I know how painful this can be, but Tia was not ready to mourn or sit on her hands.

Just as I found a home for my martial arts aspirations in Revolution BJJ, Tia has followed a grassroots path, making her an excellent partner for our next chapter. Having someone whose business and artistic philosophy resonates with yours in such a profound way doesn’t come along every day.

Yoga class at Revolution BJJ, down on mat 1

Melding Minds and Mats

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and yoga may seem like entirely different realms, but the beauty of bringing them under one roof at Revolution BJJ lies in their complementary benefits—benefits that stretch far beyond the mats and into the realm of cognitive health.

It's not just about the physical exercise; it's also about expanding your mind, and as Tia would say, activating the power of neuroplasticity. “When we stretch our minds to learn something new, we grow new connections (or neural pathways) in the brain.”

In simple terms, both arts work to forge new connections in your brain, strengthening them with practice and time. Each time you master a new jiu jitsu technique or yoga posture, you're not just improving your physical prowess, you're also enhancing your mental agility.

“And when we experience the process of learning yoga postures through a consistent and progressive practice, the brain becomes highly active and malleable,” Tia continues. “This in turn promotes well-being and a healthy perspective on life.”

Adding yoga to the martial arts we offer—jiu jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing—won’t just add mental well-being, though. Yoga's focus on flexibility, balance, and core strength perfectly complements the agility, endurance, and power needed for jiu jitsu, and the speed and intensity needed for Muay Thai. Practically, this means less injury, better recovery, and improved performance on the mat.

Not to mention, not everyone can fold themselves in half quite as easily as I can.

Moreover, the mental resilience developed through yoga's meditative aspects dovetails perfectly with the mental toughness required in jiu jitsu. Just as you'll find yourself more balanced and centered in a difficult pose after a few deep breaths, you'll also find yourself more composed and focused when you're in a tough spot during a BJJ match or rolling session.

If you’re curious about any of the details, you can read more about our yoga program here. The addition of a yoga program isn't just an extension of what we do at Revolution BJJ; it’s an evolution of our holistic approach to health and well-being, all backed by the power of neuroplasticity.

We're not just stretching bodies; we're expanding minds. Welcome to the next chapter of Revolution BJJ—where mats meet mindfulness.