Meditation on Two Wheels

My biggest challenge in living a life of Mindfulness is to truly be present in all that I do. It's so easy to let my mind wander, to dwell on the past or plan for the future, or get distracted by something else going on around me. Sadly, this is often true when I sit down to meditate; the "monkey mind" has its own agenda and rather than focusing on my breathing in, breathing out, I find myself watching the picture show inside my head.

Much the same thing happens sometimes when I'm riding my mountain bike, especially on an easy or familiar trail - I think about posts to write, what I'm going to do when I finish riding, or wonder where that creak in my drivetrain comes from. A new or challenging trail, however, serves to totally focus my mind on the ride.

Yesterday I rode Mustang Trail - a sinuous, flowing singletrack with a 200 foot dropoff to one side and water bars, rock ledges, and roots adding to the challenge. It is the type of trail where inattention can result in disaster, and sometimes riding it is just plain hard work - there is too much going on in my mind, or I'm distracted by animals or the view - and the way is slow.

This time, however, I achieve Meditation in Motion - a quality of mindfulness that transcends the ride itself. Each rock, root, or water bar becomes part of the trail's flow, and the imminent danger of the dropoff serves only to sharpen my focus. I feel one with my bike, effortlessly shifing my weight and gears as required to accomodate this steep dropoff and that short climb. My lungs and legs are burning, my forearms ache from riding the brakes, but my mind and soul are free and joyful as my bike and I flow through this moment. The trail is less than a mile long, but in my mind I'm still on it, swooping, climbing and descending, heedless of the cares of the world.

Singletrack, water, blood, the Tao, life itself - it's all about the flow. Where's it going? When will I get there? Will I like it? None of these questions seems to matter when I find these moments of mindfulness.

Life is a journey, not a destination - enjoy the ride.