On the Mat Forever w/ Ryan Hurst

Ryan Hurst returns to Tapasya Loading on the launch of his much-awaited book On The Mat Forever (OTMF), with a conversation that leaves as powerful  and deep an imprint as our first 3 years ago. Ryan holds four black belts, and spent twenty-eight years in Japan immersed deep in the study of martial arts and its philosophy.  (He is also a pretty serious guitar player, even if mostly a quiet one.)  The fact that most people have no idea about any of this is a clue towards the brand of humility and restraint that mark real mastery like his. ‘’Posture, breath, mindset’’.  These were the three words that kept me steady when everything else felt like it was falling apart during one of the hardest chapters of my life, hours after I’d just learned of a health scare my mum was going through when OTMF reached me.. We talk about that and how the book has been a companion through personal storms, and why it feels so needed right now.  We explore the tension between the two dominant archetypes of martial artists today, and differences he notices in how masculinity expresses itself across cultures as he moves into a new chapter with core philosophies of ‘mutual benefit and welfare’ taking the forefront in a world where kindness, generosity, and calm are often misread for weakness in times of confrontation. And we unpack the dissonance of reverse culture shock. How it can be a reminder that it is not our environment that defines us-but how we respond to it. Timeless truths of the true warrior that risk being buried under noise, and why OTMF is an endeavour to bring them back to where they belong.   Connect with Ryan: https://www.stayonthematforever.com/ https://gmb.io/ Instagram: @ryhurst Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GMBfitness/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GMBFitnessSkills   (This is the official edited release of our exchange. The uncut version lives inside the community.)   Complete Episode https://www.reztone.com/ https://findtl.com Join the first cohort of my Artist Mastermind and get your first month free.  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching Courses: https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses 1:1 Mentoring:  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship   Music and Audio Production: www.everynowheremusic.com Episode Notes / Text : www.tlwrites.com