In the snowy months, I spend a lot of time on my snowboard. People often ask me why I like snowboarding so much and I respond to them, “It’s a moving mediation.” “Meditation?!?!?! Snowboarding seems like anything but meditative…seems so stressful!” they say.
If you have ever been on a snowboard, you will realize within just a few minutes that you need to be paying 100% of your attention to what you are doing…otherwise you will get in trouble quickly. It is a continuous process of looking about 10-15 feet ahead, choosing your line and executing. And for as long as you want to snowboard in a day, or over a number of days, it is the same thing…look ahead, choose a line and execute.
In that particular sequence of actions, there is absolutely no room for thoughts like “what’s for dinner?”, “I wonder what so-and-so thinks about me?”, “I can’t believe so-and-so said/did that at work yesterday.”, “When will those kids ever learn?”, “I wonder if the washing machine repair man is at the house yet or not.” It is one of the most “present-time” awareness activities that I experience in life, besides my work as a chiropractor when I am adjusting people, and taking a yoga class. It is truly a moving meditation.
I recently found the same thing happening on a mountain bike…and I AM THRILLED!!!! For years I have been a “Roadie‘ they call it in the cycling world…I ride a road bike, long distances on paved roads. For years, I have had friends try to convince me to get a mountain bike and check out that scene. For years, I would say things like “Trees are unforgiving.” or “Do you realize how important my body parts are to my work?” due to my (incorrect) assumption that every mountain biker hits trees on a regular basis.
Then recently I realized how many miles of dirt roads surround my home and how much biking I was missing out on because of only owning a road bike. So I succumbed to peer pressure and bought a mountain bike from Cyclefit (by the way, those guys are super helpful when you are ready to purchase your next set of wheels) to ride on dirt roads.
Then I succumbed to peer pressure again and hit the actual mountain bike trails, or “single track” in biking world lingo, for the first time last week.
Just a few minutes into the ride, I found myself doing that look 10-15 feet ahead, choose a line and execute thing that I do on my snowboard and living in 100% present-time consciousness. Little did I know, an hour and a half blew by like 10 minutes. I was climbing hills, dodging trees, flying through mud puddles, over bridges, over roots, cruising through sand pits. IT WAS A BLAST!!! …and when the ride was over, I couldn’t wait to go out and do it again.
With the madness of life and the crazy speed that the days/weeks/months/years fly by, my brain craves 100% present consciousness time more and more everyday…so naturally at this point that craving goes to mountain biking, which if one needs to have a “craving”, mountain biking is a good thing to choose. It is also adding one more thing to my list of activities to enjoy doing during this lifetime.
I may end up staying on that same trail for the rest of the summer. I do not plan on branching out much and risking anything and both times I have been there, although I know some of the elements and the technical areas of the trail, it seems like a whole new experience to me every time. Being in present-time moving meditation mode, allows life to always seem new and that is super exciting in and of itself. Happy pedaling!!!