The Moment
One of my life philosophies is any amount of time spent truly in the present moment is worth the effort it takes to get there. Sometimes the effort is just a matter of remembering to notice the small things and the beauty in everything. Other times it is a result of purposeful training.
The Zen concept "Mushin" or "mind of no mind" is a state in which the mind is open and receptive to whatever enters and exits, never sticking or clinging to any one moment or idea.
One of my favorite aspects of training parkour is when the drill forces me to find this state. Last night Frosti and I went out for a training session in front of the National Art Gallery.
The pillars in front of the building form a large circle around some oddly-shaped windows and a fountain. At first, I didn't even pay attention to the pillars because jumping from one to the other was an easy feat. However, running on the rounded tops for more than a few steps turned out to be much less simple a task. I set a goal for myself to complete an entire lap around the circle in each direction. For the next hour and a half I made attempts at the full lap. Sometimes after only 5 or 6 steps I would lose the balance and have to step off, other times I would find a good rhythm and make it half way around only to take one false step and lose it. I soon realized it was simply a matter of focus. When I made a less-than-satisfactory step I would grimace and feel disappointment; I would let my thoughts linger on that step and continue down a negative path of disappointment and embarrassment and soon would lose my balance. Reminding myself to take each stride one at a time and not let my mind get caught behind me, I re-focused, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and affirmed to myself I could run 100 laps. Beginning my run around the circle, my awareness felt expand
ed and pinpoint at the same time. This run looked and felt completely different. My strides were easy and light. Sometimes my foot would miss its intended spot on the target, but instead of dwelling on it I allowed it to leave my consciousness along with the step itself. Each pillar appeared to me one at a time, the whole run looked significantly different in my vision. There was never any doubt in my mind that I would make it all the way around and I finished the circuit in perfect balance atop the last pillar.
Staying in the moment and keeping the mind on the task at hand in each instant, never getting snagged on a small slip-up or misstep or mistake is a skill that requires practice but ends up being beneficial to movement and mind. I walked away from that session with a feeling of calm well-being, no doubt as much a result of my time spent immersed in the moment as having accomplished a difficult goal.
The Zen concept "Mushin" or "mind of no mind" is a state in which the mind is open and receptive to whatever enters and exits, never sticking or clinging to any one moment or idea.
One of my favorite aspects of training parkour is when the drill forces me to find this state. Last night Frosti and I went out for a training session in front of the National Art Gallery.
The pillars in front of the building form a large circle around some oddly-shaped windows and a fountain. At first, I didn't even pay attention to the pillars because jumping from one to the other was an easy feat. However, running on the rounded tops for more than a few steps turned out to be much less simple a task. I set a goal for myself to complete an entire lap around the circle in each direction. For the next hour and a half I made attempts at the full lap. Sometimes after only 5 or 6 steps I would lose the balance and have to step off, other times I would find a good rhythm and make it half way around only to take one false step and lose it. I soon realized it was simply a matter of focus. When I made a less-than-satisfactory step I would grimace and feel disappointment; I would let my thoughts linger on that step and continue down a negative path of disappointment and embarrassment and soon would lose my balance. Reminding myself to take each stride one at a time and not let my mind get caught behind me, I re-focused, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and affirmed to myself I could run 100 laps. Beginning my run around the circle, my awareness felt expand
ed and pinpoint at the same time. This run looked and felt completely different. My strides were easy and light. Sometimes my foot would miss its intended spot on the target, but instead of dwelling on it I allowed it to leave my consciousness along with the step itself. Each pillar appeared to me one at a time, the whole run looked significantly different in my vision. There was never any doubt in my mind that I would make it all the way around and I finished the circuit in perfect balance atop the last pillar.Staying in the moment and keeping the mind on the task at hand in each instant, never getting snagged on a small slip-up or misstep or mistake is a skill that requires practice but ends up being beneficial to movement and mind. I walked away from that session with a feeling of calm well-being, no doubt as much a result of my time spent immersed in the moment as having accomplished a difficult goal.
posted by Travis Graves at
4:23 PM
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