Decidir V. Decidido
Posted: October 8, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: blogging, crossfit, cycling, Facebook, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, Learning, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, mind, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, philosophy, pilates, running, Thought, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 9 CommentsIf someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be much better to turn your attention to the fact that there’s an arrow in your heart-
If through practicing mindfulness, we practice letting go of thoughts – hopefully? We need another practice for letting thoughts in, getting comfortable with threats from soccer moms, the risks associated with yoga class, discouraging and difficult thoughts during a recent early morning run. We need to exercise our ability to comprehend the tedious, harsh and more discouraging thoughts we encounter during the day more so than blasting reps and sets in a gym. Without ever practicing letting thoughts in? We tend to interpret the world through the lens of easy, wishful thinking …
We need to be brave enough to take our shoes off, expose our knackered and worn toenails to step confidently into dark, discouraging and confusing waters in our quests for uncertain gratification.
It’s not enough to be able to dismiss all the “thoughts” we process and return to the here and now as “mindfulness” practice encourages. Seriously folks – Please read the last sentence again. This is where many people get mindfulness wrong, horribly wrong: Mindfulness practice is most attractive and helpful to people who succumb to the weight of negative thoughts and feelings.
Consider that most often mindfulness is meant to discourage, discouragement.
You may be able to tell I am clearly frustrated with the current view, adopted by so many in regards to mindfulness. The power of neutral-thinking, an ability to, in effect pre-grieve the possibilities of not having the latest yoga fashion(s) so that we aren’t scared of living without them, limbering our minds much the way we learn to breathe into and surrender to the searing burn of a stretched hamstring during chair pose.
Notes:
By letting thoughts in, we have already visited failure, humiliation and injury. We are prepared to contemplate deeply even when it’s not cool or trendy. Here’s the harsh truth that many yogis, blog posts and tired yoga magazine articles fail to provide us: Mindfulness practice is not believing you can ward off undesirable outcomes by not thinking about them.
There is Still Time
Posted: September 30, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: baseball, blogging, Breaking Bad, compassion, cycling, dance, family, freshly pressed, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, philosophy, pilates, running, simplicity, sports, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, yoga 12 CommentsAs if you were on fire from within. The moon lives in the lining of your skin-
Over the years as a father, husband, coach\trainer, a friend. I often find myself surrounded by people who rarely, if ever, have asked themselves: “What am I passionate about in life?” From the time most of us were little stinkers tearing up the neighborhood, we knew what we wanted to do. Playing until dusk, ignoring the call from mother to come inside, running without a care in the world, and trading baseball cards to put into the spokes of our bikes. We cherished these moments and we still do …
Meanwhile, many of us venture through the day uncertain of what we cared about, back in our youth. We spend an infinite amount of time choosing majors at university and picking a career, still uncertain of “our true passion – calling“.
Rediscovering our passion later in life is tricky to say the least. Many folks simply fall into molds society has conveniently placed around us: Men don’t do yoga. Muscles equal success, dangerously skinny women are placed proudly on a pedestal labeled as: Fitspiration.
Its time we stopped worrying about what physical activity will reignite our passion. What event, what gadget, what athlete, what lame – tired blog post … Just being passionate, each and every morning will allow your true spirit to reveal itself, attracting life to a you that is ready, willing, and able to dance the kind of dance – that you want to dance.
Notes:
There is safety in life when we embrace the mold we live in, and then there is beautiful, passionate, unencumbered life. A life worth living …
Flaw(ed)
Posted: September 25, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: Agape, Aristotle, biking, Bikram Yoga, blogging, compassion, cycling, Eros, fitness, freshly pressed, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, kettlebell, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, Oscar Wilde, paleo, passion, perspective, Philautia, Philia, pilates, Romance, running, Self-love, simplicity, trail running, Walk, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 10 CommentsThis thing about you that you think is your flaw – it’s the reason I’m falling in love with you-
Oscar Wilde once wrote that, “The essence of romance is uncertainty.” Why yes! The age-old strategy for finding love Is by playing hard-to-get, which helps spur yearning, desire and anticipation. Although there are other kinds of “love” and at times its confusing for many (especially myself) because unlike the great word smiths, writers and poets before our time. Today, love is a catchall term for literally, everything. Love carries little or no weight during a conversation, how many times have you said you Love running in the same sentence with: “I Love you.”
Join me by reintroducing other, seldom used terms or endearment back into the lexicon of the modern world. *Bonus points if you use these words with a loved one, stranger and whist working out today.*
Ludus, is a more playful form of affection found in fooling around and flirting. If you feel love for all “things“, humanity, nature, the stinky dude bent over in front of you in yoga class this morning? A more generalized love is Agape.
Philia, is deep, non-sexual intimacy between close friends, family and often at times – complete strangers. Philia can also manifest as a deep bond forged by people who have been through a dramatic or emotional experience together. Can you remember the kind folks who helped support you through your first marathon?
Lastly I want to leave you with the most profound kind of love … In order to love another I believe we also need a type of love called Philautia, which is self-love. It’s important to note that in order to care for others, we desperately need to care and love ourselves.
Notes:
Love is not something we fleetingly fall into. Be well today!
Green Canoe
Posted: September 11, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: blogging, Canoe, compassion, cycling, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, hope, Jeffrey Harrison, kindness, life, love, lululemon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, outdoors, passion, perspective, Poem, Poetry, Prose, running, simplicity, trail running, walking, whole foods, yoga 4 Comments…
I don’t often get the chance any longer
to go out alone in the green canoe
and, lying in the bottom of the boat,
just drift where the breeze takes me,
down to the other end of the lake
or into some cove without my knowing
because I can’t see anything over
the gunwales but sky as I lie there,
feeling the ribs of the boat as my own,
this floating pod with a body inside it …
also a mind, that drifts among clouds
and the sounds that carry over water—
a flutter of birdsong, a screen door
slamming shut—as well as the usual stuff
that clutters it, but slowed down, opened up,
like the fluff of milkweed tugged
from its husk and floating over the lake,
to be mistaken for mayflies at dusk
by feeding trout, or be carried away
to a place where the seeds might sprout.
Illusion(s)
Posted: September 4, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout | Tags: biking, blogging, compassion, crossfit, cycling, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hedonic treadmill, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, lust, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, perspective, pilates, Tension, trail running, walking, whole foods, WOD, writing, yoga 5 CommentsBetween two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before-
Do you find it difficult to resist temptation related to physical endeavors?
Picture the difference between wanting to run a 2:30:00 marathon and not being able to finish one (runners are easily stirred up. If you like, pick something that resonates with you). Now imagine a plyo-band stretched between you and the “thing” you want to achieve, pulling evenly on you, drawing you close. We have a hard time staying in tension and resisting the pull. So we do things: we purchase the latest running gadgets, try new activities the day before an event to release the ever-growing tension.
The image I am trying to paint for you is that once we release the tension, we feel better.
However, out here in the real world? Reality is markedly different. Sure for a few fleeting moments we feel better … Then the morning of the event arrives and in a flash, second guessing creeps in, doubt shows up alongside you and we go back to feeling the same as before. Welcome my friends to the Hedonic Treadmill.
We relentlessly pursue things and experiences that we think will make us happier. But once we acquire them, we quickly return to our previous level of happiness. Then we start looking for the next latest and greatest “thing” … 5k-10k-1/2 Marathon-Marathon-Triathalon-Ultra events … The sweet new Felt carbon-fiber tri bike you’ve been lusting after? The first time you sling your leg over the top tube feels like good sex. You’ve dreamed of this moment all season long. Although, 128 miles later the bike feels like every other bike you’ve ever owned, saddle sore and all. What better time to start lusting after another new bike, another gadget. The Hedonic Treadmill patiently awaits your arrival …
Notes:
When I work with folks away from this rambling blogging thing, I lament, nauseously about building tension. Breathing, muscle activation and willpower? What? Willpower … Willpower is mastering tension not always getting what we want, when we want it, releasing the tension we have patiently building.
Creating tension is a beautiful and empowering process, embrace it and be well today.
CultFit 