Thoughts on BJJ and Taiji principles

It has been a while and winter here has not been easy. More on that in another post maybe.
I want to put down a few thoughts about BJJ training (which is now 4 days a week) and the connection with martial arts and TaiJi Quan.
While I am still very much the beginner, knowing, well barely grasping, a handful a techniques with HUGE gaps with the strength of blackholes, I feel I am seeing and getting a better map on concepts. Whether that's because of my science background or my Taiji Quan I don't know.

So I know there are such things as flow, timing, feeling and relaxation. I do expect that feeling requires experience as in Taiji.
But Knowing is one thing, seeing is another.
There are a few other concepts and principles I am playing hide and seek with.

- Yin/yang give and take.
I've understood that there is a take/give balance sometime ago, that is if you partner is taking something from you (submission, sweep...) they are giving something with it, which you can take advantage of. Now of course, knowing there is a gift somewhere does not mean I know what it looks like, because, well, i have very little experience. But I do keep my eyes open.
Other people may conceptualize it differently, but i like the yin/yang imagery.

- connection
The principle of connecting to your partner I see applies as well. I see it, but I do not know how to do it.

The other concepts I'm still trying to glimpse are the space and relaxation ones.

- Space.
I have been realising that controlling the space should be one of my main goals during rolls. If  I am offensive and trying to maintain control, I usaully need to close space (with exceptions). When defending, however, I need to find or create space. This reminds me of the "opening and closing" that you express within your body in Taiji. Maybe one far-away day I will be in a position to look for opening/closing within myself in BJJ.

- Relaxation
The other principle is how to be relaxed. The chinese "Fansong" . And here just like in Taiji i mean "relaxed but not collapsed". I still can't be relaxed. But I feel I'm not most times. And I see the tension in the other beginners. They are my mirror. While i am still looking for "relaxed", i see the direction it is NOT in. I am trying to be aware of my own breathing and work where it comes deep and slow, avoiding the quick, shallow, loud breathing that i hear from most other white belts. That is wrong. Not the way to roll, methinks.

I tend to think that Taiji gives me a frame of reference and tools that I can use in BJJ.
How is it for people with external martial arts experience I wonder...

Apart from learning techniques (including escapes +++ and hip mobility) my current general goals are to keep Moving with purpose and structural strength, wasting my strength outwards less, I suppose.
Let's see if  I can do that and if it helps. I am probably overthinking things, but that can't be helped...