TOEING THE LINE

Winning or toeing the finish line is not everything.

To win is to enjoy muscles, tendons, body and mind working fluidly in synch and harmony.

        'On The Beach' - oil on paper
Art by Gerlinde

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.

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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.

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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.