Mountain Biking as Meditation

I took a meditation workshop this weekend in which the teacher told us anything can be meditation. "It is about awareness," she said. "Witnessing ourselves is the practice," she reminded us.

I have often refered to knitting as meditation. I've tried to meditate sitting and I find myself quite antsy. Sometimes yoga class feels like meditation. The movement. The concentration. The breath.

Then I found myself on a long ride. Four hours, a lot of climbing, and obviously a lot of breathing. I didn't realize that I could reach a meditative state in mountain biking. But I did. It is why I love riding up hill. In order to continue going up I focus on breathing. I become more tired if my mind wanders. If I concentrate on breathing I am transported up the hill as my breath fuels my legs. In the moment all I have is my breath. But I do have more and it makes me happy.

The reward, although I will attempt to not become attached to the outcome, was joy. I felt so happy. Happy. I love mountain biking. I love being outside. I love that I have the ability to play. I want to share these experiences and this joy with others.