How often do you go for a bike ride to "clear your mind"? Or "to think about" something or another? To "de-stress"? Or "focus"?
It probably wouldn't surprise you that I've hopped on my bike many, many times for those reasons or to free my spirit. I know, that last phrase sounds misty and musty and woo-woo, but there it is.
Given that I've spun my wheels to get my mental wheels spinning (or to give them a rest), it might surprise you to know that I've never done yoga or engaged in any sort of meditation practice. Oh, I've gone to seminars, workshops and classes on various topics that began with exercises that called for participants to be conscious of their breathing and other basic functions. But I've never taken yoga classes, gone on zen retreats or done anything of that sort.
I've had acquaintances and friends--including one with whom I rode fairly regularly for a few years--who spent weekends and vacations going to ashrams and such. I have even entertained the thought of doing so myself. But I've never gotten to it. I don't feel guilty or that something is missing in my life. It just occurs to me that perhaps that lapse is rather odd, considering how I sometimes spend my bike rides.
So, what started this rumination, you ask? I ran across an announcement of a yoga-and-bicycling weekend retreat that took place the weekend before last at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in the Catskill Mountains, about 200 kilometers from where I live.
Somehow I get the feeling that riding with a yogi would be a very interesting experience.
It probably wouldn't surprise you that I've hopped on my bike many, many times for those reasons or to free my spirit. I know, that last phrase sounds misty and musty and woo-woo, but there it is.
Given that I've spun my wheels to get my mental wheels spinning (or to give them a rest), it might surprise you to know that I've never done yoga or engaged in any sort of meditation practice. Oh, I've gone to seminars, workshops and classes on various topics that began with exercises that called for participants to be conscious of their breathing and other basic functions. But I've never taken yoga classes, gone on zen retreats or done anything of that sort.
I've had acquaintances and friends--including one with whom I rode fairly regularly for a few years--who spent weekends and vacations going to ashrams and such. I have even entertained the thought of doing so myself. But I've never gotten to it. I don't feel guilty or that something is missing in my life. It just occurs to me that perhaps that lapse is rather odd, considering how I sometimes spend my bike rides.
So, what started this rumination, you ask? I ran across an announcement of a yoga-and-bicycling weekend retreat that took place the weekend before last at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in the Catskill Mountains, about 200 kilometers from where I live.
Somehow I get the feeling that riding with a yogi would be a very interesting experience.
