Presence in Nature
Happy February!
My birthday just passed this last weekend, and celebrating with the movement lifestyle, we spent the weekend outside. For a total of around 15 miles, we hiked one day at Blue Mountain near Peekskill and the next day, I hiked solo near the north end of Harriman state Park to West Mountain and “The Timp”. Awesome trails with snow all around and beautiful views. But I remembered the hard way after the 1st day that using micro spikes or some kind of extra tread for your shoes is sooooo helpful in winter hiking. We were doing a bunch of unintentional glissading down the hill (in other words, falling a lot). The second day I had my micro spikes and the hills were much easier.
This is one of the amazing and humbling things about going out in nature. Being outdoors is certainly a source of rejuvenation- recharging by finding quiet, serenity, and stillness- by escaping the noise of society and adapting to the pace of the natural world. On the other hand, nature, especially during the winter, can quickly present challenges that can even be threatening. The cold that was refreshing suddenly feels freezing, the ice can easily cause you to fall and slide, and daylight is shorter so unless you feel comfortable walking in the dark, there’s less time to meander.
These challenges bring to mind a particular philosophy of both happiness and goal setting. On the 1st hike, in order not to fall, I needed to pay particular attention to keep my balance and center of gravity over my standing leg. If I got sloppy and just threw my weight onto the next step without grounding and finding my balance first, I would certainly fall. Each fall could make me agitated, frustrated, or even panicked if I felt out of control. I kept from feeling those things because I wasn’t in a truly dangerous situation, but also I remembered a quote from the Life Coach, Martha Beck:
“Simple recipe for happiness: Never do more than you can do in peace.”
Too simple? What about achieving hard things? What about when you have to (literally or metaphorically) climb a mountain? What about when you’re feeling out of control and things aren’t going your way?
That’s when the teaching of Eckhart Tolle comes to mind: All you have to do is be aware of the present moment, and in the present moment there are no problems. Problems are a mind construct usually involving an imagined, tragic future outcome. In the present moment, you may have challenges, but in this tiniest space of time, you can break down the challenge to the smallest manageable step, and it no longer seems like a problem - just the next step to take.
What is so invigorating is moving through a challenge without the noise of worry or anxiety. Being on the ice and focusing on each step… Being in the cold and paying attention to the present signals of my body: How much energy do I have? How does the cold feel right now? Feeling the next breath. And realizing I am at peace.
This certainly seems easier said than done… but only because we are habituated to being out of peace most of the time. I’m certain with practice, it will get easier. And here’s the amazing thing: if you are also committed to the present moment, and the smallest steps you need to take, you end up being able to do really hard and amazing things… all while remaining in peace!
For more thoughts on the importance and what nature has to teach us, I totally recommend the book by Richard Louv, The Nature Principle . This book is reminding me that our gyms and studios should merely be training grounds to help us restore our movement capabilities and confidence, but the majority of our movement (and indeed our lives) should be spent outside!