If Instagram and much of popular media are accurate representations, wellness culture appeals to a narrow demographic. A particular body type, where physique and ability are implied as prerequisites for many practices.

This particularity becomes all the more visible in the realm of martial arts. Images of chiseled bodies abound, and the outright athleticism of many of the disciplines can seem prohibitive for many potential students.

Despite this, however, martial arts have historically been a refuge for marginalized and disabled people. Much of martial arts is about empowerment, about overcoming adversity. Body type is less a consideration than dedication and heart.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) leans into that dedication, and turns an ableist notion of power on its head. Founded in the 1920s in Brazil by the now infamous Gracie family, BJJ’s central principle is the power of a smaller and weaker person to overcome a larger opponent. Its focus on grappling, ground fighting and holds have made it a popular sport for the athletic and not-so in equal measure. Gyms encourage all types to step onto the mat.

Jennifer Lujan, owner and instructor at Montrose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, highlights the sport’s inclusivity, and her own studio’s desire to make everyone welcome.

“There are people with a wide range of body disabilities that train and are even able to participate [at a high level of competition],” she shares. “Being naturally athletic will take you far in any sport,” but in BJJ it is not requisite.

What is requisite, though, is determination. “If you stay really dedicated you can become whatever type of jiu jitsu practitioner you want.”

A sport focused on grappling, arm bars and other incapacitating moves has to teach determination most of all. “You are going to face so many losses. You’ll get smashed. You’ll feel pretty defeated. Or maybe even all of these at the same time,” says Lujan. It can be sobering, and the sport’s adherents emphasize the tenacity required to be successful.

It is this mental toughness in BJJ that allows even the smallest practitioner to “survive in a really vulnerable spot,” adds Lujan. Anecdotes abound of the small and weak triumphing throughout the sport. Lujan herself relayed with pride a story of a young student who used “applied technique to flip a situation” with a much larger instigator at a sleepover. BJJ was an empowering force that allowed him to overcome a dangerous situation, despite the odds.

This mental fortitude, paired with its highly technique driven discipline, have led BJJ to be one of the most popular martial arts in the world. A dominant force in mixed martial arts, the sport has amassed over ten thousand gyms in the United States alone. Over one million people are practicing the sport worldwide.

Much of this success is due to the gym’s place in the community. Many gyms throughout the country are also social organizations, working as, or with, nonprofits to provide not only confidence and discipline, but also tangible benefit to the wider community as well.

Montrose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu partners with the WeDefy Foundation, an organization that “provides a year’s scholarship to veterans,” as well as the Ruck N Roll 5K to raise funds for the foundation. Cornerstones of their community, Lujan herself has received the honor of Best Martial Arts Instructor in Montrose, Colorado, many times, and her impact on the community is echoed by her students.

Spaces like a gym can be a lifeline for disenfranchised people in the community. Whether they are bullied, feel weak or are disaffected in some other way, the students learn to feel empowered.

Sometimes this translates to big wins on the mat, but often, it’s the confidence and perseverance that are the big takeaways for Lujan and her students.

As she says, “These are the small victories I see each day.”