Urban Buddhism
Posted: March 24, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, blogging, Buddhism, Commuting, compassion, cycling, exercise, fitness, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, joy, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, nature, nebraska, Omaha, passion, perspective, simplicity, writing, yoga, Zen 13 CommentsKeep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you-
” … Get your bike off of my road asshole!!!”
Last summer I built up an old Jamis road bike in order to make it more efficient and useful for commuting back and forth from work. For me – This is the perfect way to get a bit more exercise, heal and rehab some old injuries, save a couple precious dollars on gas, and in all honesty – I enjoy the ride, alone, the peace and quiet of spinning along in the early light. (I’ll save my rant about saving the environment for later this summer)
On my afternoon ride two Thursdays ago … I was waiting at an intersection near home for the light to change, when an Audi Q7 (affectionately adorned with five look at how many kids I have created stickers in the rear window) squeezed past me to get to the front of the line. The “kids” driving turned sharply in front of my front wheel and the driver kindly shared her advice mentioned at the beginning of the post.
My first reaction was one of slight amusement, as an avid cyclist, events like these happen all too often. I was simply waiting to cross the last intersection after a long day of work, when out of nowhere I was called some rather amateurish names. Instead of reacting, I simply crossed the street when the light changed, and then gently rode home.
When I arrived home and started to remove my helmet, I thought for a moment what was shared with me 15 minutes earlier … The recalcitrant behavior of our society is nauseating.
Daily Meditation:
Why do so many people feel the need to make these kinds of remarks in the first place? I’ll share with you my theory as to why: There are critical thinking flaws present in the way we live our lives, especially pertaining to unwarranted inferences from others.
A Lonely Quest
Posted: March 12, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bliss, cultfit, Education, freshly pressed, Lonliness, love, meditation, Mindfulness, nebraska, Omaha, religion, Serenity, Spirituality, thank you, WordPress, writing, yoga, Zen 2 CommentsDo your work, then step back. The only path to serenity-
*I wrote this post during a brief stop, riding a century one scoring hot weekend last summer in Nebraska. I’m not sure why I didn’t publish it at the time, maybe I was on to something, or maybe not. It’s safe to say that I walk a path in this beautiful world differently than most, and this philosophy carries over into how I help folks to compete, not on the road – but rather in this thing called life*
I am fortunate and humbled by the amazing people I get to talk with each day. The most captivating, and certainly the most personal moments occur when we struggle to “spit it out“, to put into words the thoughts that lie at the very edge of our ability to put them forth as meaningful words, a dense conversation full of wonder and meaning. Each of us has experienced the feeling of straining, against the very limit(s) of putting our thoughts into words, or even these well intended thoughts into actions.
I’m here, with this tiny little blog-o-thing, to help you break through … Unfortunately, no one is listening. The Hedonic Treadmill keeps chugging along.
Opening people’s eyes to the real benefits of yoga and training athletes is more than just enhancing their ability in a tangible way (inflated numbers – fleeting results), but rather – developing deeper thinking, a curious mind and wondering too. This really bothers me, deeply. You know what? It flat-out pisses me off … If you can’t think what you can’t say? Don’t put your thoughts into action – with only half your heart. I’m comfortable saying for the first time on this platform, that I am gently leading you on a journey for more words, deeper thought and wondering, exploring different ways to say, see and doing “things“.
Many of us are comfortably corralled within the limits of our power of thought, speech and outward actions. We don’t think anything we can’t say and we can’t say much. The truth of the matter, we don’t even come close to doing the things we can do, and we certainly don’t do much. More often than naught, a closed mind isn’t stubborn, just stunted in its ability to grow, in hibernation so to speak. I feel the same way in-regards to how we live in this byzantine world we called home now-a-days.
Daily Meditation:
To get by in the ultra competitive world we live in, all we need is a few things to think and say, a few things to do, and a few ways to stop our thoughts from running beyond what we’ve already thought.
I feel my work here is done, be well and do take care.
One Too Many Mornings
Posted: March 4, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Ahimsa, blogging, Buddhism, compassion, cycling, Equanimity, exercise, fitness, freshly pressed, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, nebraska, Omaha, passion, running, yoga, Zen 6 CommentsPerform all thy actions with mind concentrated on the Divine, renouncing attachment and looking upon success and failure with an equal eye. Spirituality implies equanimity-
Three laps into a grueling mid summer Twilight Criterium. Sweat, pouring from your brow, the last of your patience – exhausted – three laps ago. All the training, the race prep, the money and time spent for this brilliant moment … And who the hell does this Mustached Cinelli Straddling Punk think he is?!? This Phil Wood spinning bastard better get his ass to the back of the line!!!
Your sympathetic nervous system rages, the surge of adrenaline as you grit your teeth, our fight or flight response shifts instantly into high gear. Equanimity, our parasympathetic nervous system, is waiting back at the car, or is it? There is a way to gently pull the brakes on your fight or flight response.
…
My “trick” to finding equanimity during such stressful and annoying moments, is to simply keep the concept of equanimity at the front of my mind (not in the boot of the car). We all know the feeling of anger taking over our bodies, causing our minds to wander and to spin out of control. Our breathing becomes more shallow, our hearts begins to race, we feel the pressure building behind our eyes, goosebumps, a nervous twitch, the veins in our temples – pulse rapidly.
…
Whenever and wherever I feel my fight or flight alarm begging to sound? I stop to take a deep breath and place a mental bookmark, a bookmark that reminds me that now is the time I need to bring equanimity back to the forefront of my true-self.
Daily Meditation:
Here’s the no BS deal folks: Training and running a marathon is easy, an ultra distance gravel bike ride is a mere jot around the park in comparison to consciously keeping equanimity at the forefront of our minds. Practicing and learning how to bring evenness to your mind and spirit – Equanimity – Takes a lot of work! Although, at the end of the day … Its pretty damn cool to sit back, chill, watching the world unfold before our eyes. Without lamenting about some cyclist, during some silly ride.
Logged (Off)
Posted: February 18, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Bicycling, biking, blogging, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, kindness, life, love, lululemon, motivation, musings, natural, nebraska, Omaha, passion, perspective, social media, Strava, technology, yoga 9 CommentsIndeed, the direction of the future is only there in order to elude us-
Recently, after a fairly spirited morning group ride here in Nebraska. I found myself warming up with a cup of hot chocolate at a local coffee shop. Savoring the warmth of the first sip, I overheard a group of fellow riders sitting comfortably near the front window. A slender, lively man reached for his iPhone near the center of the table to check his Strava stats. If you are unfamiliar with Strava? Good for you!
Gathering up my gloves, helmet and balaclava, quickly finishing the last sacred sip of my warm drink. I turn to thank the barista before being interrupted with the following question:
“… Hey dude! Have you tried using a Strava when you ride? If you did – I thought we could have a friendly Strava Stat Battle Royal …”
…
When I snap the buckle on my helmet, adjusting its fit before the pedals complete one rotation. Consciously I have made the choice(s) to LOG OFF – Taking a much-needed time out from my digital life. No matter how convenient, “handy” and productive technology has become, it is still my choice, (your choice) whether I remain tethered to it everywhere I go.
…
As a little dude, I had my fave superman pajamas and blankets to protect me from the monsters lurking underneath the bed. I took comfort with my imaginary friends and I refused to part with them under any circumstances (The movie Mr. Mom describes my childhood …). These transitional objects served to blanket me with comfort as I came to terms with my own individuality, and until I simply grew out of them.
Daily Meditation:
The gadgets we use today? Are our modern-day “security blankets“, distracting us from being alone with our true selves. Over the course of the next few posts, I would like to share some personal stories as to how I was able to toss my security blanket into the fire and my phone gadget thing into the trunk.
Winter Balance
Posted: February 7, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, Gravel Grinder, happiness, health, hipster, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, nature, nebraska, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, recovery, running, snow, trail running, weather, whole foods, winter, WOD, yoga, Zen 13 CommentsWhat good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness–
Its early on a Sunday morning in Eastern Nebraska. The temperature is below zero and bone-chilling. The moon, still glowing, casts a pale and cold shadow upon the newly fallen snow. The last light of distant stars sparkle brilliantly, dancing as the world is still, and glistening.
…
I bring my cold hands to heart – centre, my palms pressing actively together to bring warmth and presence, the tips of my numb thumbs pressing into my layered sternum. On a deep inhale, I raise my arms in a gentle sweeping motion, turning my palms outward toward the sparkling sky … Balancing myself before starting off on an aimless ride to nowhere in particular.
Daily Meditation:
Cycling (any outdoor activity) during the long Winter months is purely about finding balance, flow and our true selves. Cycling early on a cold winter morning, encourages me to look mindfully into the furtive places of my mind, from which I can view information from my past, this cold moment – slowly and gracefully.
Be well this weekend and please take care!
CultFit 