Training the Brain
1.1 On a recent holiday I picked up a book called “training the brain” while I was at the airport. It was a reasonably pricey book for what it was, a bunch of worksheets filled with simple math problems. I bought it anyway, thinking that somehow it might be worth it to help exercise my brain. I was remembering the feeling I used to get when I solved math problems as a kid. Perhaps this would help me get it back again.
The “Brain Training” involved solving very simple math problems as quickly as possible. That was the goal, to solve them as quickly as possible. After each timed session we could then check our answers to see how many we got right. Then after every five sessions we had a special quiz to test our brain’s prowess.
1.2 Doing my brain training every morning I noticed that sometimes I was into it and sometimes not. Sometimes I’d do miserably and on other times I’d be in the flow and steadily and slowly my times began to improve.
1.3 One day it occurred to me that I needed a better way practice and the thing that I needed to practice wasn’t getting the numbers right but flowing. The problems were pretty simple. I knew most if not all of the answers because I’d learned as a kid. So instead of worrying about correct answers started to practice trying to write with a smooth flow, doing each test over and over again but focusing on writing something, whether right or wrong. It’s a challenge when you want to make sure everything is right. Actually, just writing fast was a challenge. You really do have to be on the ball. There is not time for thinking, at least not if you want to get the “Gold” level time standard.
1.4 So that I could flow and maximize my chance of getting the answer right I started to preview the next question. I’d look at the next question while writing the answer to the previous question and the flow was making myself move my eyes the moment I’d finished the previous question. I had my eyes lead my hands by one question.
1.5 Doing those math equations, once I’ve looked at a question and finished the previous question, even if it is one that I am finding difficult at the time, I moved on anyway, and let my brain take care of figuring it out, and sure enough it did. It’s like my brain and hands already knew the answers I just have to let them know what we were doing so that they can get on and do it.
1.6 That was the answer for flowing. Leading with my mind and letting another part of me take care of the details. In a way it is very much like looking to the horizon while riding a bike. There I was looking for the furthest point ahead that I could see so that I could go there. Here I was looking at the next question so that I could answer it. It’s not so much looking ahead in time as it is looking ahead in space to see the immediate future.
Showing posts with label looking to the horizon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label looking to the horizon. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Becoming Bigger, Brighter, Light
BECOMING BIGGER, BRIGHTER, LIGHTER
1.1 A long time ago one of my dreams was to do a long road trip along the Pacific Coast on my motorbike. Having just quit my last engineering job I had the perfect opportunity to do a long ride from Calgary to San Francisco. I took three days to get there.
1.2 Riding through Oregon I encountered moments where it seemed like I hardly steered my bike at all. Instead I looked where I wanted to go and the bike went that way by itself. I’d see how the road turned and because I was looking my head would lead my body. My body would lead the bike and the next thing the bike and I would be leaning. It felt like I was simply thinking about where to go, and looking too, and the bike listened.
1.3 Looking where I wanted to go, the slight shift in position of my head was enough to shift the shared center of myself and the bike to the side so that it went where I wanted it to go, falling to the side. But in order for it to do that all the other connections within my body and between my body and the bike needed to be engaged. If my arms were too soft, too relaxed, then any movement of my head would not be transmitted through my arms to the handlebars of my bike, the movement would be lost. However, if my arms had just the right amount of tension then any changes in the position of my head, or even the position of my upper body with respect to my seat would be transmitted via my arms to the bike itself.
1.4 At a rest stop in Oregon along the I5, a man came up to me to tell me how much he enjoyed seeing someone in his element. He didn’t want to be like me, but he admired me for doing what I was doing and it moved him. He also said that as little as a few years ago if he’d have seen me riding the way I was he would have said “That’s guys going too fast!” Now he saw me and thought, “That guy’s doing what he loves!”
1.5 Looking to the horizon, expressing an idea or being pulled towards another we become bigger and brighter. And other people see our brightness.
1.1 A long time ago one of my dreams was to do a long road trip along the Pacific Coast on my motorbike. Having just quit my last engineering job I had the perfect opportunity to do a long ride from Calgary to San Francisco. I took three days to get there.
1.2 Riding through Oregon I encountered moments where it seemed like I hardly steered my bike at all. Instead I looked where I wanted to go and the bike went that way by itself. I’d see how the road turned and because I was looking my head would lead my body. My body would lead the bike and the next thing the bike and I would be leaning. It felt like I was simply thinking about where to go, and looking too, and the bike listened.
1.3 Looking where I wanted to go, the slight shift in position of my head was enough to shift the shared center of myself and the bike to the side so that it went where I wanted it to go, falling to the side. But in order for it to do that all the other connections within my body and between my body and the bike needed to be engaged. If my arms were too soft, too relaxed, then any movement of my head would not be transmitted through my arms to the handlebars of my bike, the movement would be lost. However, if my arms had just the right amount of tension then any changes in the position of my head, or even the position of my upper body with respect to my seat would be transmitted via my arms to the bike itself.
1.4 At a rest stop in Oregon along the I5, a man came up to me to tell me how much he enjoyed seeing someone in his element. He didn’t want to be like me, but he admired me for doing what I was doing and it moved him. He also said that as little as a few years ago if he’d have seen me riding the way I was he would have said “That’s guys going too fast!” Now he saw me and thought, “That guy’s doing what he loves!”
1.5 Looking to the horizon, expressing an idea or being pulled towards another we become bigger and brighter. And other people see our brightness.
Room To Move
Room to Move
When we know what it is that we are doing we are able to position our selves in the best way possible so that we have room to do what we are doing.
Riding a motorcycle what that means is that we are positioned on the bike so that we have room to steer it, and room to operate the controls. Also room enough to move ourselves relative to the bike when we need to. What that means is that we lean forwards enough or position ourselves forwards enough so that our elbows are bent so we have room to move the handlebars. It also means that our legs are bent enough that we can use them to shift our body from one side to the other or back to center.
Riding the bike itself room to move means positioning it while going around a corner so that we always have a little bit more room to lean it or turn it if we have to. Relative to the road itself and what is on it room to move means that we always have somewhere to go, a place of safety if we need to but it also means that we can also keep moving straight ahead, staying on the path.
Dancing with someone we give our body room to move, and we give our partner room to move too, whether we are leading or following we position ourselves relative to each other that we can both do what we have to do make the idea of dancing real. But we still stay connected. And we look for spaces on the dance floor where we can both do what we want to together.
Doing yoga while in a particular pose room to move is positioning each part of ourselves in the best position possible while still maintaining the shape of the pose. That means that each part of ourselves is involved in the pose so that then the pose becomes as easy as possible.
Room to move while driving is giving ourselves room to move but also everyone around us so that together we all flow. If one person gets into an accident because they don’t have room to move it can slow everyone down. And so room to move gives everyone room to flow so that we can all flow together.
When we know what it is that we are doing we are able to position our selves in the best way possible so that we have room to do what we are doing.
Riding a motorcycle what that means is that we are positioned on the bike so that we have room to steer it, and room to operate the controls. Also room enough to move ourselves relative to the bike when we need to. What that means is that we lean forwards enough or position ourselves forwards enough so that our elbows are bent so we have room to move the handlebars. It also means that our legs are bent enough that we can use them to shift our body from one side to the other or back to center.
Riding the bike itself room to move means positioning it while going around a corner so that we always have a little bit more room to lean it or turn it if we have to. Relative to the road itself and what is on it room to move means that we always have somewhere to go, a place of safety if we need to but it also means that we can also keep moving straight ahead, staying on the path.
Dancing with someone we give our body room to move, and we give our partner room to move too, whether we are leading or following we position ourselves relative to each other that we can both do what we have to do make the idea of dancing real. But we still stay connected. And we look for spaces on the dance floor where we can both do what we want to together.
Doing yoga while in a particular pose room to move is positioning each part of ourselves in the best position possible while still maintaining the shape of the pose. That means that each part of ourselves is involved in the pose so that then the pose becomes as easy as possible.
Room to move while driving is giving ourselves room to move but also everyone around us so that together we all flow. If one person gets into an accident because they don’t have room to move it can slow everyone down. And so room to move gives everyone room to flow so that we can all flow together.
Monday, June 16, 2008
What is "Looking to the Horizon?"
What is Looking to the Horizon? To answer that lets talk about what the horizon is. The horizon is the circle that marks the limits of what we can see of the earth. Standing in one spot and slowly turning around the horizon is all around us as far as we can see.
Where I am right now the horizon is pretty close. There’s a hill in front of me. To either side there are buildings and behind me is the coffee shop I am sitting at. But if I went to the countryside and found a hill to stand on then the horizon would be a lot further away. I’d be able to see a lot of the earth. But because of the curve of the earth I’d still be limited by what I can see.
Still in the countryside if we went for a walk the horizon would be changing, sometimes closer sometimes further away but always there in front of us (and behind us and around us). If we keep our eyes on the horizon we’ll see changes at the earliest opportunity, we’ll see hills as they come up, cities, townships. And we can use what we see to guide us. When we see spires and it’s a town that we want to head for then as soon as we see those spires we can adjust our course if we need to so that we get there sooner.
But we also notice what is between us and it. Maybe there are obstacles in the way. Maybe they only become apparent as we get closer. So as well as looking to the horizon to see what is coming up we also look within the horizon to see what our next steps might be. Ideally what we might do is look to the horizon to see where we want to go and at the same time see everything between ourselves and the horizon to see how to get there. And each moment as we continue to move forwards the horizon changes and so does the path towards it.
Picking a path towards where we want to go the questions we might ask ourself is which path will continue to give me the best view of the way ahead. Hills and high points give us the best perspective and even though they require some work to get up if in the end they give us the best view possible and show us obstacles which we might not be aware of until we got to them then perhaps the effort to get up those hills is not wasted. And then it can be easier coming back down them. And so part of looking to the horizon is seeing the possible paths we can take and choosing the best from among them.
And so Looking to the Horizon is also choosing the path we wish to take. And one of the ways we can make choices is asking ourselves which path will continue to give us the best view of the way ahead.
Looking to the horizon is continually looking ahead to see what choices we have and then choosing from among them and it is choosing in such a way that from wherever we go next our view of the horizon is as big as possible so that we always have lots to choose from.
Riding a motorcycle with the desire to go fast the definition of “horizon” is slightly different. Because we are on a predefined path when we look ahead what we are trying to see is where the road goes next. And so if the road dips and all we can see of the road is up to the point where it dips then that dip marks our horizon. If the road goes up a hill and we can’t see beyond the crest of the hill then the crest of the hill marks our horizon. If the road bends and we can’t see beyond the turn then furthest point we can see into the turn marks our horizon. If there is lots of traffic (other racers) on the road, then that traffic defines our path and our horizon is the furthest point ahead that we can see through the traffic.
How do we get a better view of the way ahead? By positioning ourselves as best as possible. If the road dips or goes up a hill then we can sit up taller so that we see what’s coming up at the earliest opportunity. If the road goes around a bend then we position ourselves to the outside of the bend as much as possible (given the chances of traffic coming the other way and enough room to move back to a position of safety) so that we can as far around the bend as possible. If there is lots of traffic, then we line ourselves up with the path that we want to take so we can see through the traffic. And even as the conditions change, whether it is the road or what is on the road, we adjust ourselves to handle those conditions, always looking for the position that gives us the best view of the way ahead (given the situation we are in).
The further we can see ahead the faster we can go if we choose. The further we can see ahead the earlier we can see change as it appears. The further we can see ahead the more choices we give ourselves. Looking to the horizon we continually look ahead to see what choices we can make, and we choose in such a way that we always have more choices along the road ahead.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is ahead of us it is also being aware of what is around us and behind us. What is the way we have come (if we have to back track) what is coming up from behind us or beside us that might affect my path. Driving slowly, what is around us that might be beautiful to look at.
Looking to the horizon we connect to the earth. But if we are riding a motorbike really fast it is also being aware of our connection to the bike so that we can make that connection as good as possible. And it is also being aware of the connections within ourselves. How each part of our body is related to every other part, how our mind is relating to our body and to what we are doing.
Being aware of what is within ourselves we sense the choices that our body gives us and we choose in such a way that we always have the possibility to move. And likewise sensing the connection between ourselves and the bike and the bike and the earth. What are the choices we can make that give all of those relationships the most room to move while keeping the relationship intact.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is around us it is also being aware of what is within us. And it is also being aware of what we are connected to.
Looking to the horizon our awareness radiates outwards from the center of our being so that we are aware of all that is within us and well what is outside of ourselves. And connecting it all is the path that we are trying to take.
Links Related to this Article
Riding a Motorbike and connecting to it
Sensing our body
Sensing our body’s center
Room to Move
Where I am right now the horizon is pretty close. There’s a hill in front of me. To either side there are buildings and behind me is the coffee shop I am sitting at. But if I went to the countryside and found a hill to stand on then the horizon would be a lot further away. I’d be able to see a lot of the earth. But because of the curve of the earth I’d still be limited by what I can see.
Still in the countryside if we went for a walk the horizon would be changing, sometimes closer sometimes further away but always there in front of us (and behind us and around us). If we keep our eyes on the horizon we’ll see changes at the earliest opportunity, we’ll see hills as they come up, cities, townships. And we can use what we see to guide us. When we see spires and it’s a town that we want to head for then as soon as we see those spires we can adjust our course if we need to so that we get there sooner.
But we also notice what is between us and it. Maybe there are obstacles in the way. Maybe they only become apparent as we get closer. So as well as looking to the horizon to see what is coming up we also look within the horizon to see what our next steps might be. Ideally what we might do is look to the horizon to see where we want to go and at the same time see everything between ourselves and the horizon to see how to get there. And each moment as we continue to move forwards the horizon changes and so does the path towards it.
Picking a path towards where we want to go the questions we might ask ourself is which path will continue to give me the best view of the way ahead. Hills and high points give us the best perspective and even though they require some work to get up if in the end they give us the best view possible and show us obstacles which we might not be aware of until we got to them then perhaps the effort to get up those hills is not wasted. And then it can be easier coming back down them. And so part of looking to the horizon is seeing the possible paths we can take and choosing the best from among them.
And so Looking to the Horizon is also choosing the path we wish to take. And one of the ways we can make choices is asking ourselves which path will continue to give us the best view of the way ahead.
Looking to the horizon is continually looking ahead to see what choices we have and then choosing from among them and it is choosing in such a way that from wherever we go next our view of the horizon is as big as possible so that we always have lots to choose from.
Riding a motorcycle with the desire to go fast the definition of “horizon” is slightly different. Because we are on a predefined path when we look ahead what we are trying to see is where the road goes next. And so if the road dips and all we can see of the road is up to the point where it dips then that dip marks our horizon. If the road goes up a hill and we can’t see beyond the crest of the hill then the crest of the hill marks our horizon. If the road bends and we can’t see beyond the turn then furthest point we can see into the turn marks our horizon. If there is lots of traffic (other racers) on the road, then that traffic defines our path and our horizon is the furthest point ahead that we can see through the traffic.
How do we get a better view of the way ahead? By positioning ourselves as best as possible. If the road dips or goes up a hill then we can sit up taller so that we see what’s coming up at the earliest opportunity. If the road goes around a bend then we position ourselves to the outside of the bend as much as possible (given the chances of traffic coming the other way and enough room to move back to a position of safety) so that we can as far around the bend as possible. If there is lots of traffic, then we line ourselves up with the path that we want to take so we can see through the traffic. And even as the conditions change, whether it is the road or what is on the road, we adjust ourselves to handle those conditions, always looking for the position that gives us the best view of the way ahead (given the situation we are in).
The further we can see ahead the faster we can go if we choose. The further we can see ahead the earlier we can see change as it appears. The further we can see ahead the more choices we give ourselves. Looking to the horizon we continually look ahead to see what choices we can make, and we choose in such a way that we always have more choices along the road ahead.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is ahead of us it is also being aware of what is around us and behind us. What is the way we have come (if we have to back track) what is coming up from behind us or beside us that might affect my path. Driving slowly, what is around us that might be beautiful to look at.
Looking to the horizon we connect to the earth. But if we are riding a motorbike really fast it is also being aware of our connection to the bike so that we can make that connection as good as possible. And it is also being aware of the connections within ourselves. How each part of our body is related to every other part, how our mind is relating to our body and to what we are doing.
Being aware of what is within ourselves we sense the choices that our body gives us and we choose in such a way that we always have the possibility to move. And likewise sensing the connection between ourselves and the bike and the bike and the earth. What are the choices we can make that give all of those relationships the most room to move while keeping the relationship intact.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is around us it is also being aware of what is within us. And it is also being aware of what we are connected to.
Looking to the horizon our awareness radiates outwards from the center of our being so that we are aware of all that is within us and well what is outside of ourselves. And connecting it all is the path that we are trying to take.
Links Related to this Article
Riding a Motorbike and connecting to it
Sensing our body
Sensing our body’s center
Room to Move
Starting Slowly
STARTING SLOWLY
1.1 When we got on our bikes each morning on the racetrack, the first thing we did, after the mechanics had checked and refueled our machines, was go for a slow tour of the track. Riding slowly we had the opportunity to get to know ourselves as well as the bike as well as the track. Warming up we slowly expanded our consciousness outwards to the horizon.
1.2 I used to start running the same way, starting of slowly. Giving my body a chance to warm up, to wake up. I’d start of jogging slower than some people walk but by doing so I gave my whole body a chance to wake up, bit by bit, so that each bit woke up to itself and to it its connection with its neighbors so that my body as a whole could work well together.
1.3 I learned to do the same thing when I was skating. Starting of slow, I’d take my time, gliding from skate to skate but not really pushing, just feeling my body, the action I was doing. Eventually I’d get a signal, some sort of okay from my body, then I’d start to sink my weight down and use it to push through each skate, like my whole body was working together so that skating was easy and fun.
1.4 When we change activities, for example from talking to riding motorbikes, or from studying to exercising, we are taking part in a new idea and going slowly to begin with is a chance for all of those parts to wake up to the change and for the parts of our body to stay connected during it.
1.5 Running my first half marathon, I started off at the back of the pack taking nearly the first half of the race to warm up, slowly increasing my speed. As I did so I started to overtake more and more people right till the very end of the race. I could have kept on going I felt so good.
1.6 Starting slowly our consciousness gradually radiates outwards from our center, feeling each part of ourselves, each part of ourselves awake to what we are doing. Each part of ourselves able to take part and working with every other part so that our whole body together works well together. Starting of slowly running or skating or doing yoga, that is when I can seemingly go on forever because I am smoothly opening to the way ahead by becoming conscious of all the parts of myself and all the connections between them.
1.7 Warming up, we slowly connect to everything we can, slowly and steadily pushing the boundaries of our consciousness outwards. Warming up we smoothly handle change waking up to all that is around us and all that is within us. And with our consciousness radiating outwards, one of the things we keep our minds on is the point of what we are trying to do.
1.8 On that motorcycling riders course I was on an instructor had commented that I wasn’t preparing early enough for each corner. If I began to prepare as soon as I saw a corner I could make the transition smooth, following a nice line from where I was to where I wanted to be so that I was ready for the corner when I got to it. Warming up is the same, a smooth and gradual change that gets us ready for what’s coming up.
1.9 Eventually we get to a point where we don’t need to warm up quite so much because we are aware of what we are doing all of the time.
1.1 When we got on our bikes each morning on the racetrack, the first thing we did, after the mechanics had checked and refueled our machines, was go for a slow tour of the track. Riding slowly we had the opportunity to get to know ourselves as well as the bike as well as the track. Warming up we slowly expanded our consciousness outwards to the horizon.
1.2 I used to start running the same way, starting of slowly. Giving my body a chance to warm up, to wake up. I’d start of jogging slower than some people walk but by doing so I gave my whole body a chance to wake up, bit by bit, so that each bit woke up to itself and to it its connection with its neighbors so that my body as a whole could work well together.
1.3 I learned to do the same thing when I was skating. Starting of slow, I’d take my time, gliding from skate to skate but not really pushing, just feeling my body, the action I was doing. Eventually I’d get a signal, some sort of okay from my body, then I’d start to sink my weight down and use it to push through each skate, like my whole body was working together so that skating was easy and fun.
1.4 When we change activities, for example from talking to riding motorbikes, or from studying to exercising, we are taking part in a new idea and going slowly to begin with is a chance for all of those parts to wake up to the change and for the parts of our body to stay connected during it.
1.5 Running my first half marathon, I started off at the back of the pack taking nearly the first half of the race to warm up, slowly increasing my speed. As I did so I started to overtake more and more people right till the very end of the race. I could have kept on going I felt so good.
1.6 Starting slowly our consciousness gradually radiates outwards from our center, feeling each part of ourselves, each part of ourselves awake to what we are doing. Each part of ourselves able to take part and working with every other part so that our whole body together works well together. Starting of slowly running or skating or doing yoga, that is when I can seemingly go on forever because I am smoothly opening to the way ahead by becoming conscious of all the parts of myself and all the connections between them.
1.7 Warming up, we slowly connect to everything we can, slowly and steadily pushing the boundaries of our consciousness outwards. Warming up we smoothly handle change waking up to all that is around us and all that is within us. And with our consciousness radiating outwards, one of the things we keep our minds on is the point of what we are trying to do.
1.8 On that motorcycling riders course I was on an instructor had commented that I wasn’t preparing early enough for each corner. If I began to prepare as soon as I saw a corner I could make the transition smooth, following a nice line from where I was to where I wanted to be so that I was ready for the corner when I got to it. Warming up is the same, a smooth and gradual change that gets us ready for what’s coming up.
1.9 Eventually we get to a point where we don’t need to warm up quite so much because we are aware of what we are doing all of the time.
Foundation for Change (stopping safely)
Foundation for Change
1.1 When I first took motorcycle riding lessons I used to do emergency stops perfectly. Speeding along, when my instructor flagged me to stop I’d quickly and smoothly squeeze the brakes and the bike would slow like a spaceship coming out of hyperspace with the rear wheel lifting, pausing and then lowering at the end of the stop. My instructor enthusiastically told me that I was using the full stopping potential of my bike. I was applying pressure to the brakes at just the right rate without skidding.
1.2 Perhaps I became overconfident in my abilities but as I practiced again and again, I lost my ability to stop properly. I felt tight and nervous and instead of stopping smoothly I lost control of the bike as I braked and nearly dropped it. No longer poised and controlled as I braked, the bike would wiggle and I would scramble to get my feet on the ground as the bike settled down.
1.3 I was no longer stopping effectively or smoothly, elegantly or efficiently and I didn’t know what I had been doing to make my stops so smooth before. So I didn’t know what I had to do to make them better again.
1.4 I realized that my stops had gone bad because I’d been looking at the instructor waiting for him or her to flag me to stop. He became my focus point and he was too close for me to stay balanced when I stopped. When my stops had been good I’d been looking beyond the instructor to the horizon, so that it gave me the leverage to stay in control. The instructor was still in my field of vision but I didn’t focus on him, instead I included him as part of my visual panorama. I noticed when he flagged me but I kept my eyes open so that I saw everything that I could. Then I was able to use the brakes to maximum effect, stopping smoothly and staying balanced.
1.5 It is as if by seeing more of the earth I gave myself a broader foundation. Connecting to the earth and keeping that connection till I stopped gave me leverage to stay upright, a broad base on which to balance. In addition, as I braked it was like I was giving the energy of riding a means of bleeding off smoothly, directing it onwards by looking to the horizon. And I kept looking ahead until the bike settled down on to both wheels and all the energy of riding had dissipated.
1.6 And here’s the thing, talking to a friend I realized that stopping is changing, it’s one of the biggest changes we can experience, that and starting. And likewise so is a corner “A Change.” It is during change that looking to the horizon can be the most helpful. In all those cases, when I looked to the horizon, I stayed upright, poised balanced and connected to the machine I was riding because looking ahead I saw change at the earliest opportunity.
1.7 When we ride the horizon is constantly changing but smoothly changing, and when we keep our eyes on it we can change smoothly too. Stopping is one of the most extreme cases of change, but if we do it while looking at the horizon we can make our stops smooth and controlled.
1.8 Stopping normally in traffic the first thing we did after we had stopped was to check our mirrors, sometimes when we stop the world around us keeps on going forwards.
1.1 When I first took motorcycle riding lessons I used to do emergency stops perfectly. Speeding along, when my instructor flagged me to stop I’d quickly and smoothly squeeze the brakes and the bike would slow like a spaceship coming out of hyperspace with the rear wheel lifting, pausing and then lowering at the end of the stop. My instructor enthusiastically told me that I was using the full stopping potential of my bike. I was applying pressure to the brakes at just the right rate without skidding.
1.2 Perhaps I became overconfident in my abilities but as I practiced again and again, I lost my ability to stop properly. I felt tight and nervous and instead of stopping smoothly I lost control of the bike as I braked and nearly dropped it. No longer poised and controlled as I braked, the bike would wiggle and I would scramble to get my feet on the ground as the bike settled down.
1.3 I was no longer stopping effectively or smoothly, elegantly or efficiently and I didn’t know what I had been doing to make my stops so smooth before. So I didn’t know what I had to do to make them better again.
1.4 I realized that my stops had gone bad because I’d been looking at the instructor waiting for him or her to flag me to stop. He became my focus point and he was too close for me to stay balanced when I stopped. When my stops had been good I’d been looking beyond the instructor to the horizon, so that it gave me the leverage to stay in control. The instructor was still in my field of vision but I didn’t focus on him, instead I included him as part of my visual panorama. I noticed when he flagged me but I kept my eyes open so that I saw everything that I could. Then I was able to use the brakes to maximum effect, stopping smoothly and staying balanced.
1.5 It is as if by seeing more of the earth I gave myself a broader foundation. Connecting to the earth and keeping that connection till I stopped gave me leverage to stay upright, a broad base on which to balance. In addition, as I braked it was like I was giving the energy of riding a means of bleeding off smoothly, directing it onwards by looking to the horizon. And I kept looking ahead until the bike settled down on to both wheels and all the energy of riding had dissipated.
1.6 And here’s the thing, talking to a friend I realized that stopping is changing, it’s one of the biggest changes we can experience, that and starting. And likewise so is a corner “A Change.” It is during change that looking to the horizon can be the most helpful. In all those cases, when I looked to the horizon, I stayed upright, poised balanced and connected to the machine I was riding because looking ahead I saw change at the earliest opportunity.
1.7 When we ride the horizon is constantly changing but smoothly changing, and when we keep our eyes on it we can change smoothly too. Stopping is one of the most extreme cases of change, but if we do it while looking at the horizon we can make our stops smooth and controlled.
1.8 Stopping normally in traffic the first thing we did after we had stopped was to check our mirrors, sometimes when we stop the world around us keeps on going forwards.
Positioning Ourselves for the Best View of the Way Ahead
BEST VIEW OF THE WAY AHEAD
1.1 Riding home one day I found myself stuck behind a slowly moving City bus. Traffic was heavy and I was feeling lazy but I moved to the right anyway and saw that the bus wasn’t going quite as fast as I thought relative to the traffic around it and there was plenty of room between it and the car it was catching up to, enough room for me to sneak my bike through with room to spare.
1.2 I realized that the better I positioned myself the easier it was for me to see the way ahead because I saw where everyone else was going and how fast they were taking to get there. Seeing where everyone else was going sometimes I saw paths before they appeared as if I was seeing a little way into the future and all I had to do to get that view was position myself for the best view of the way ahead.
1.3 Riding in the country, because of the trees it is hard to see what is around each corner. When I stayed close to the inside edge of a turn they blocked the view of the way ahead. Inspired by my experience with the bus I decided to change the way I rode. I positioned myself to the outside of a turn as I rode it and I found that I could see further ahead.
1.4 When I positioned myself wide (as opposed to going wide because I am looking to the outside of the corner) I felt safer because I could see so much further ahead. As a result I could go faster if I wanted to. The funny thing is, I used to limit myself before because of what I thought was good riding. I thought that I had to stay close to the inside lane. As a result I limited view of the way ahead and I felt very scared on twisty roads just because I couldn’t see that far ahead. Once I started to use the road, positioning myself for the best view of the way ahead, then riding became fun again. I could see where I wanted to go.
1.1 Riding home one day I found myself stuck behind a slowly moving City bus. Traffic was heavy and I was feeling lazy but I moved to the right anyway and saw that the bus wasn’t going quite as fast as I thought relative to the traffic around it and there was plenty of room between it and the car it was catching up to, enough room for me to sneak my bike through with room to spare.
1.2 I realized that the better I positioned myself the easier it was for me to see the way ahead because I saw where everyone else was going and how fast they were taking to get there. Seeing where everyone else was going sometimes I saw paths before they appeared as if I was seeing a little way into the future and all I had to do to get that view was position myself for the best view of the way ahead.
1.3 Riding in the country, because of the trees it is hard to see what is around each corner. When I stayed close to the inside edge of a turn they blocked the view of the way ahead. Inspired by my experience with the bus I decided to change the way I rode. I positioned myself to the outside of a turn as I rode it and I found that I could see further ahead.
1.4 When I positioned myself wide (as opposed to going wide because I am looking to the outside of the corner) I felt safer because I could see so much further ahead. As a result I could go faster if I wanted to. The funny thing is, I used to limit myself before because of what I thought was good riding. I thought that I had to stay close to the inside lane. As a result I limited view of the way ahead and I felt very scared on twisty roads just because I couldn’t see that far ahead. Once I started to use the road, positioning myself for the best view of the way ahead, then riding became fun again. I could see where I wanted to go.
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