Meditation Part 1

Meditation.  Part one.  I’ve had a certain fascination with meditation for a long while now.  Intrigued by the willpower and discipline required, I first thought of it as an exercise of mind over matter.  Like in a bike race, your tired legs are hurting and telling you to stop but you stubbornly push through it chasing the result.  Like that, but the opposite.  Sitting cross legged, your restless body is hurting and telling you to move but you stubbornly push through it and stay still.  This initial understanding wasn’t enough to get me to practice.  It just seemed to require too much effort and I still wasn’t sure about the why even if I admired those who had the willpower to do it.  I was in awe of their ability to focus.  When I trained to race, my favorite rides were solo long steady distance outings.  They were simple.  They felt natural to me.  No complicated timed efforts.  Just ride.  And these rides seemed to benefit my mind as much as my legs and body.  Unknowingly at the time, they were my first form of meditation.  An introverted outdoorsman at heart, my solo rides have become a necessity for me instead of simply something to do responsibly during this pandemic.  They have become my lifeline.  My ritual.  My practice.  Temps hovered around - 5 Celsius on this cloudy January forenoon as I headed out into the woods on my fat bike.  Snow covered trails.  Easy like Sunday morning.   As I settle into my pace, I notice how very comfortable I have become alone in the woods.  It just feels like coming home.  One with nature.  One with existence.  Out of the self.  Into the whole.  Wandering for over 3 hours.  Forest tea.  A gluten-free date square.  My absolute favorite active meditation.  And zero willpower required.  Maybe meditation isn’t difficult after all?  Maybe it’s a matter of finding a form of meditation that suits us?