Mindful Practice 3

If you ride a bicycle you might find this exercise quite refreshing.  And it may even open a new frontier for you in biking.

 Riding a bicycle while being mindful is a much safer way of biking.  Not being mindful while biking is dangerous! I bike every week and often see other bikers on the road listening to their ipods or riding side-by-side talking to one another. Needless to say, these are not the safest ways to bike.

If you ride a bicycle you might want to begin practicing mindful biking the next time you go for a ride.  Share this mindful practice with other bikers.

While biking, see the road passing under you like a ribbon and then go immediately to the feeling of the road by becoming aware of your buttocks on the bike seat and your hands on the handle bars.  Notice how the road vibrations travel all the way through your body giving you a sense that you, the bike, and the road are one.  Broaden your awareness to the sound of the wind in your ears and everything that surrounds your very being.  At this point you might have the feeling of greater clarity, vitality,and freedom.  It doesn't take long under these circumstances to go from being lost in thought to total awareness.

While holding all of these sensations in your awareness bring your attention to your breathing.  Allow your legs and breathing to flow in unison. Visualize energy coming from the earth, up through your body and out the top of your head like wind blowing through a tunnel.  You are now mindfully biking - fully aware of your body and the environment, in the moment, without judging.  You are as free as the wind moving over Mother Earth.  It is a magnificent feeling!

Practicing mindfulness while biking brings a greater sense of joy in biking and appreciation for being alive.  It will open new frontiers in what the sport has to offer and it will broaden your prospective on yourself and your capabilities.