As some people, I have an interest in sport although I do not participate.
I occasionally follow
football, cricket and more recently cycling such as the Tour de France and, Formula 1 motor racing. I do
not see Formula 1 as a sport per sae because the device (the car), plays a
greater role in victory than the athleticism and talents of the driver in
comparison to a bat, ball, javelin or hurdles of other athletes. However, winning is determined by the first past the post or, the first toe over the line.
Albeit, in all sports or
activities there requires some form of bodily physical activity because simply,
we could not move nor have any form of mobility if it were not for blood, acids
(such as lactic), bone, muscle, tendons and sinews, not to mention our organs
of brain, heart and lungs etc. Naturally
it follows that high, middle, low or recreational level athletes all use the
same fluids, organs, tissues etc. in their chosen sport or activity.
Everyone at some stage in their
lives has walked, run, jumped, swam, thrown, tossed, lifted or punched (in a
nice way) not only in sport but as a part of normal life.
Athletes at all levels
concentrate on the performance of themselves as a whole but also at
the micro levels of their bodies. In practice, all sports people
whilst performing, think about what their muscles are doing, how they feel and
also, how the overall body reacts in unison with tendons and muscles. Take for instance a swimmer who is training
for a marathon. That swimmer
concentrates on the arms making smooth long strokes with not only the legs and
feet assisting the propulsion but also the economy of effort to maximise the
momentum with the least effort in order to sustain momentum over a long distance.
I was a swimmer and my
personal ‘thing’ was to mentally make my body as light as possible whilst
trying to swim on top of the water instead of swimming through it, thereby
creating less drag. Whilst swimming I would concentrate not only on trying to
lift my body higher out of the water but also on the action of my shoulders,
upper and lower arms, belly, hips, upper and lower legs, feet and ankles. I especially love my hips feeling loose
and limber. When I had it all together
it felt absolutely fabulous...if not euphoric!
It is not that one is
constantly thinking about these things but rather, I found I gained much
pleasure from not only feeling the muscles alternatively becoming taught and
relaxing but I loved the feeling of the tightening and relaxation of my tendons
in my ankles and feet.
Without thinking we all walk,
run, stretch or simply mobilise ourselves when driving, cooking, cleaning and even
watching television or reading. No matter how stagnant
we feel, our muscles are moving, sometimes minutely yet, in these times (besides
others) we do not fully appreciate not only our mobility, but the seemingly magic
of it and how it feels.
When I am swimming I see and
feel like a seal. It is my automatic
mind set or ‘way of being’ in water. I have a very stong affinity for water. Like
k.d. lang who was a crow in a former life, I was a seal.
Animals and other creatures demonstrate
moods and emotions like us humans but also, when you see a seal swimming, you
can see the joy.
As the crow flies with
wings outstretched does it not look like that crow feels good? Even in the tree, singing or voicing to other
birds...can you hear what I hear, the sound of pride and pleasure in being a
crow but also communicating with bird song?
Consider the freedom both the
seal and crow have, the freedom to soar and sing and enjoy what and how they
are. Consider what we have, the same as
the seal and crow however, we perhaps have the intellect to enjoy our muscle
and tendon movement more than the seal and crow and like other creatures, we
enjoy feelings of movement.
Just for a moment, look at
your index finger, bend it over one joint at a time, see how it bends, picture
the inside anatomy and working mechanics, experience the feeling and enjoy the wonder.
Take your shoes and socks off
and stand up. Now, yes now!
Look down at your feet. Feel
the air on and around your feet and the ankle. Feel
the flooring as your foot flattens. Feel
the air on your skin. Press your toes
into the carpet or flooring and feel the textures, feel your toes as they press
down on the floor, bend one foot up and feel how wonderful it is as the muscle
in your calf tightens. Roll your foot around
in a circle and concentrate on the feelings generated by muscles, tendons and sinews.
Do it again and be mindful of
how both your foot and mind feels in conjunction and you will then begin to
think differently about your body and begin to be mindful on the enjoyment of
simple body movement and how wonderful your body is as a whole.
In sport or recreation, we
tend to think and focus more on becoming, faster, better and ‘doing it right’. However in exclusively focusing on the game
we sometimes lose sight of the simple pleasure.
And that simple pleasure is not only the game but it is also on the
incredibly simplicity of the mechanics of our body. More importantly is the joy and wonder as we
feel the individual pieces move both as single entities and
as a whole unit.
That is the joy. Admittedly a personal joy, but it is ours to
gain pleasure from in the simplest of movements.
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Pay attention to every single body movement and you will be in awe. It this awe that will provide you with many surprises and pleasure. In turn, you will learn to love and appreciate what your body does for you and, reap the beneficial rewards.
When next at the seaside,
stand by the edge of the waves, your toes and feet past the waterline and enjoy your feet digging into the wet gritty sand as
the cold, perhaps crisp icy water washes around your ankles...pure enjoyment!
Now, for me, back to the
pool...the pool room that is.
Cheers,
Verde.
