Mike Tyson and transformation

 Boxing and Shamanism: The Fierce Art of Facing Myself

When I think of fierceness in boxing  and the journey of self-discovery in shamanism, I can’t help but think of Mike Tyson—a man who faced down the world in the ring and grappled with his own darkness outside of it. Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” That quote resonates with me because it captures both the raw, immediate shock of boxing  and the inner confrontations of shamanism. In each case, you think you know what you’re made of until you’re hit—then, reality strikes, and you come face-to-face with who you truly are.

The Fall: Losing Myself to Find Myself

Tyson’s life has been a journey of highs and lows, power and vulnerability. He once admitted, “I’m afraid of everything. I’m afraid of losing. I’m afraid of being humiliated. But I’m not afraid of fear.” In the ring and in life, he faced these fears with ferocity, even though it often broke him down. In my own journey, I’ve had to come to terms with a similar process of unraveling. Shamanic work has taken me to places within myself I would rather not go, exposing fears and insecurities I didn’t know I had.

The process of shamanic self-exploration requires breaking down the illusions I have of myself, much like the process Tyson experienced as he confronted his identity beyond the ring. As I face these inner shadows, I feel a strange sense of loss, as if layers of myself are being stripped away. Tyson once said, “I don’t understand why people would want to get rid of the suffering. That’s what’s beautiful.” This speaks to the shamanic journey as well: embracing the fall, the pain, and the letting go, knowing that in this breaking down, something beautiful can emerge.

The Fierce Act of Honest Self-Inventory

After the fall comes a brutal inventory of who I am, and this is where Tyson’s perspective on self-doubt and self-knowledge resonates deeply. Tyson has shared that his greatest opponent was always himself: “My biggest asset was my mind, my biggest enemy was my mind.” In shamanic work, we encounter a similar paradox. It’s easy to think of shamanism as mystical or peaceful, but true shamanic practice requires raw honesty. You have to face down your own mind, your own fears, with a fierceness that rivals any physical fight.

This honesty leaves no room for denial or justification. Tyson’s raw self-reflection has been both his curse and his salvation. He once said, “I’m the most brutal, the most vicious, the most ruthless champion there’s ever been. No one can stop me.” Yet he was also quick to admit his weaknesses, saying, “I know I’m not tough. I’m a very sensitive person, and I feel everything.” This duality—the fierce and the fragile—strikes me as essential to both boxing and shamanism. It takes strength to be vulnerable and honest, to confront the parts of ourselves we don’t like and might even fear.

Rebuilding: Strength Born from Vulnerability

Once I’ve taken stock of my weaknesses and fears, I begin the process of rebuilding. Tyson’s own journey of redemption and reinvention serves as a powerful reminder of the possibility of transformation. He’s a man who went from the height of fame and power to the depths of loss and incarceration, only to emerge with a different kind of strength—a strength rooted in humility and self-awareness. Tyson has said, “I’ll fight anybody anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t matter if I’ve been knocked down a hundred times, I’ll get back up.”

Rebuilding isn’t about becoming invincible or impermeable. It’s about embracing the cracks and building something authentic from the ground up. In shamanic work, this rebuilding is about weaving together the parts of myself that I’ve disowned. In the ring, it’s about moving forward with confidence, even when I know I could be knocked down. Tyson’s willingness to keep fighting, both in and out of the ring, is a powerful testament to this resilience.

Integrating Fierceness and Fragility

Tyson’s life is a living embodiment of what it means to balance power and vulnerability. He acknowledges his struggles and imperfections, his victories and his defeats. Tyson once said, “Real freedom is having nothing. I was freer when I didn’t have a cent.” This resonates with the path of shamanism, where I’m called to let go of material attachments and illusions, to find strength not in what I possess but in who I am at my core.

In boxing , I’m often reminded that power isn’t just about delivering a hard punch—it’s about endurance, resilience, and knowing when to step back, breathe, and readjust. Shamanism, too, teaches me that there’s a fierceness in surrender, in being willing to lose myself so I can find something real, something lasting.

The Journey to Transformation and Freedom

Ultimately, both Tyson’s story and my own path through boxing and shamanism point to a deeper journey of transformation. Tyson said, “Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it.” This echoes the shamanic journey as well, where I’m asked to go to uncomfortable places within myself, to confront my darkness with the same intensity I bring to the ring. Both paths require a commitment to growth, a willingness to get knocked down, and the resilience to get back up, each time a little wiser.

~Shanti Freedom Das