The Joy of Movement – Power Walking 

Walking clears my head, fills my lungs with fresh air, lets off steam, builds up my strength and centers my spirit. --Sarah Ban Breathnach

I have always been a walker. Thoreau says “It requires a direct dispensation from heaven to be a walker.” I love everything about walking! I like the simplicity of it and the lack of complicated gear. I mostly like that I can walk right out my door and begin. And power walking is a very special form of walking that speeds up the heart rate, puts power in the body and wind through the hair. 

I power walk everywhere! I power walk to the bank, to the post office, to the grocery store, to Carrie’s house and to the beauty supply shop. I grab my IPOD and power walk around Lake Merritt, an urban oasis right down the block.

Link: http://reinventingkarla.blogspot.com/2012/10/rotation-of-seasons-gardens-at-merritt.html 

I throw my chest out, I smile, I pound my arms to the music, and generally have myself a grand time of it. Rob calls me a dork, a cute dork, but a dork just the same. What the hay! I’m having a great time and it’s good for me!   

I am invigorated and happy with the fresh air on my cheeks, pumping my arms and my legs, in rhythmic motion, taking in the trees and the water and all the interesting people and their dogs as I motor by.  

Music is a really fun part of the power walk. A hopelessly late adopter, I would never have an IPOD if it weren’t for Christmas and Rob, (good man). I highly recommend it for walking. The music adds zeal and energy to the whole business. An hour combining the Stones, Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Who and power walking can energize me for the rest of the weekend. I can be seen on most Saturdays walking around Lake Merritt, bobbing my head to the rhythm and punching the air to particularly good lyrics - sometimes I pull off the trail and dance in the trees . . . (I love the anonymity of the city.)  

Ah, there is such an ecstasy in movement . . .

I grab my purple tennis shoes, IPOD, cell phone and a little money and power walk to the video store, the Farmer’s Market, friend’s homes, cafés, (rewarding myself with a baked good of course) and cutesy shopping districts. I explore new neighborhoods, bookstores and boutiques. Sometimes I catch up on my phone calls. It’s like taking a walk with a friend.   

I was into walking through Mountain View Cemetery during the worst days of the vertigo. I would walk all the way up there from Lake Merritt and stride through the hushed quiet Piedmont sunshine, comforted and soothed by all who have lived before me. It gave me hope to still be able to walk, no matter how dizzy. God, help me, don’t take that away from me, too.  

I remember sitting in the sun when Karen told me that Boe was in the hospital. I went everyday and prayed for her family. I explored the Chapel of the Chimes and meditated in a mystical room with a fountain. I found John Lee Hooker. Way cool. 

Perhaps the most exciting power walk found me high above the city on the Promenade Plantée in Paris. Let's just say that power walking on the Promenade Plantée is analogous to skiing in the Alps.

Link: http://reinventingkarla.blogspot.com/2012/07/aperfect-day-square-trousseau-ble-sucre.html

I prefer walking to driving or even cycling these days. Moving more slowly through the world, I see into the life of things, (thank you Wordsworth).

 

Here in the present moment,

One step at a time,

I have found peace.

 

 

Gratitude During the Holidays

Making the Season Sparkle

Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.

I join my hands in thanks

For the many wonders of life

For having twenty-four brand new hours before me.

- - Thich Nhat Hanh

 

What if you could not only survive the holidays but actually enjoy this time of year?  Can you imagine yourself looking forward to this season, moving through it with ease?  Recent research by leading psychologists says you can.  UC Davis, researcher, Robert Emmons, PhD, in this year’s book, Thanks!  How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier, says emphatically that being thankful actually amplifies the good; the good things in our lives, the good people in our lives and even the good in ourselves.  What better time than the holidays to practice these skills – and get feelings that will really last all year! 

Recognize the Gifts 

In his research with thousands of people, Emmons showed clearly that we can strengthen the ability to recognize the gifts in life.  We can, over time, learn to better notice the beauty around us, to ground ourselves in that beauty.  We can learn how to slow down and savor the goodness.  There is so much beauty during the holiday season to relish and enjoy; the lights, ornaments, candles in a window and childrens’ faces.  

 

We learn to recognize not only the gift, but also the person who gave us the gift.  We grow to understand that many people have helped us along the way, providing us with what we couldn’t do for ourselves.  We no longer take people for granted.  We realize that we are deeply connected with the people in our past and present.  They have helped bring us where we are today.   

Gratitude – An Approach to Life 

Gratitude is more than just a feeling.  We can experience just being grateful.  Practicing gratitude is an overall approach to life. We are learning to see through a different lens; a lens of abundance rather than scarcity. We can’t be anxious, (envious, angry, worried, etc.) and grateful at the same time.  Gratitude is an attitude consciously cultivated; an orientation, that can eventually can become a habit.   

The Daily Gratitude Inventory (DGI) 

Charles M. Shelton Ph.D,  has developed a Daily Gratitude Inventory (DGI), a written, daily examination of the gifts and blessings in our lives. Writing encodes positive experiences in our memory.   This practice helps us to become more aware of our blessings. It may be helpful to break down the day’s events in the following categories:

The Everyday 

Enjoy your senses during the holidays.  Taste the varieties of food, lovingly prepared; delight in the tiny white lights strung along the streets; revel in the deep winter colors, the sumptuous velvets and rich brocades.  Celebrate the changing of the seasons and create rituals that fulfill and sustain you.  Bring out the flannel sheets, the fire logs and the candles.  Savor the beauty of the world around you.  Move slowly through the feast.

People and Relationship 

We gather with friends and family during the holidays and feel deeply connected with those we love.  We feel a sense of belonging.  We go out at night; we visit each other in our homes; we dress up and go out on the town, we enjoy good entertainment.  We connect with some of the people in our lives only once a year around this time.  Plan ahead for the holidays, scheduling events you look forward to with people you enjoy.  Feel your affection for the people you love.   

The Big Picture 

As you focus on your life, take the long view.  This is a good time of year to reflect over the past year.  Focus on what was good.  Was there a difficult situation you handled well?  Did you exhibit a strength or talent this year that was helpful to another person or to your organization?  Was there an experience that helped you to grow?  Did you receive an insight or an understanding that changed you for the better?

 

Taking in the Good

Another suggested gratitude practice has been developed by Berkeley researcher, Rick Hansen, Ph.D. The practice of taking in the good uses your mind to change your brain to change your mind for the better.  It has been shown that practicing gratitude actually changes the brain chemistry.  Hansen maintains that as your mind changes your brain changes.  “Neurons that fire together wire together”.  Gratitude practices have been proven to strengthen existing synapses and actually thicken the frontal cortex, building new synapses. Directing attention skillfully is a fundamental way to shape the brain and one’s life over time.

• Look for positive facts and let them become positive experiences.  Let yourself feel good if you get something done, if someone is nice to you, or if you notice a good quality in yourself.

 

• Savor the positive experience and sustain it for 10-20-30 seconds.  Try to let it fill your body, and be as intense as possible. 

• Intend and sense that the positive experience is soaking into you, like water into a sponge, becoming a part of you. 

• Do this several times a day.  The more you take in the good, the more your brain will change for the better. 

The good news is the more we practice gratitude, the more often we experience it and the deeper we experience it.  Being thankful is a choice, we can make in any given moment.  Take the time to relish and savor the gifts in your life this holiday season. 

Further Reading

 Sarah Ban Breathnach, The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude. 

Robert A. Emmons Ph.D , Thanks!  How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier. 

The Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley, An interdisciplinary research center helping to foster a more resilient and compassionate society. 

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, teacher, author. 

Rick Hansen Ph.D, Buddha’s Brain:  The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom. 

Charles M. Shelton, Ph.D,  Achieving Moral Health:  An Exercise Plan for Your Conscience. 

Br. David Steindl Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joy of Movement – Cycling and Hiking

power in the body, fresh air, exercise that is fun, sustainable, healthy , ecstasy of movement, invigorating, rhythmic, flow, fits in the daily round . . .

 Cycling 

I took up cycling when I lived in a small, bike-friendly town in New Jersey. (yes, there are small towns in New Jersey!)  It’s rhythmic and you get to see pretty places and be outside. I loved the speed and the wind on my face. (Are you beginning to see a pattern here?)  

I was in my early 30’s, recently divorced from my five year practice marriage and was lonely for companionship. I decided to join the Sierra Club and go on their Saturday bike rides.  I met an awesome group of people and I loved riding all over the green countryside in the fresh air, clearing my mind after a long work week. We became a tightly knit community, enjoying many weekends, Thanksgiving dinners and holidays together, giving me connection and a wonderful sense of belonging when I most needed it.   

One of the peak experiences of my cycling career was riding the five boro bike tour in New York City. I will never forget the image of bikes, bikes, and more bikes riding high on the bridges connecting the boros. I had never seen those bridges devoid of cars. It was surreal. 

I left my car in New Jersey when I first moved to Eugene. My bike was my sole source of transportation for about six months. What a simple, uncomplicated life. Eugene is designed for cyclists; some places are even closer by bike than by auto. When I moved to the busy Bay Area, I gave up the bike.  Navigating through traffic with skinny or nonexistence bike lanes was not my idea of fun. 

Hiking 

The Sierra Club folks also opened up a whole new world of hiking for me. Who would think, after Wyoming, that I would take up hiking in New Jersey?!? And it has stayed with me. If I have a whole day or afternoon, I like to combine exercise with my expedition days.   

Hiking is a wonderful way of moving my body and being enveloped by trees, water and sky at the same time.  It has a simplicity about it that appeals to me.  It requires very little gear and takes minutes to grab my boots, make a lunch and fill a pack.  I love moving through the trees and that feeling of power in my body climbing the hills. I am greeted by magnificent views (and a snack!) when I reach the top.

I am forever grateful to the foresight of the early settlers in the Bay Area who set aside huge parcels of land for hiking trails and wildlife preserves, particularly the East Bay Regional parks. It is a spiritual human need to be outdoors. I believe there is no finer way of filling that need than propelling my body amongst the great beauty of hills, trees and sky.

The Joy of Movement - Skiing

In my dreams!

 

Some movement memories bring up feelings of loss. I was once a pretty hot skier and motorcycle rider. I loved controlled speed. One of the coolest things my dad ever did was to buy me a Kawasaki 90 when I was fifteen. Maybe he felt guilty about moving me from Huntington Beach, California to Spring, Texas?!? I found myself a boyfriend who had a dirt bike and he let me ride it, opening up a whole new world of speed and savvy. 

Skiing 

I’m content to leave the motorcycle riding in the past, but my heart sometimes aches for the skiing. I gave it up when I moved away from the cold. I don’t know if it was the expense or the fact that Rob doesn’t ski, but I haven’t skied for over twenty years. I often have dreams about skiing. I’m so excited, anticipating gliding down the slope, and just as I am about to get off the chair lift, the dream ends. 

Skiing was a part big part of my life when I lived in Wyoming. When we moved there from Texas, I decided to learn some winter sports, so I would be willing to go outside. That was another really cool thing my Dad did for us – taking us to a used ski equipment sale and outfitting the family.

I loved the speed and the rhythm of skiing, the cold fresh air on my face, the good looking guys and navigating the mogul fields.  I loved the sunlight on the snow, the wide open slopes and the huge sky. I even taught young people how to ski one winter. Of course you know I loved being part of the cool ski instructors group!

And guess what!?! I’m actually going skiing this January! One of my best friends will be completing her general ordination exams and she wants to celebrate on the slopes. I decided it was time. I took myself to Any Mountain in Berkeley and bought a smashing ski outfit, dug out my gloves, hat and goggles from storage, and rented a house for the four of us, husbands included), seven miles from Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe. Reinventing Karla, Chapter 3, here we go!  

Please pray with me that my vertigo will not stop me from doing what I want to do. Restore my balance good God!

The Joy of Movement

power in the body, fresh air, exercise that is fun, sustainable, healthy , ecstasy of movement, invigorating, rhythmic, flow, fits in the daily round . . . 

Exercise cannot be a part of reinventing Karla unless I like it.  If exercise is not fun, it’s not sustainable. I’m just not the type of person who will keep up going to the gym. I like to be outside. But I am motivated to find exercise I like, because I can’t be happy unless I’m healthy.  Maintaining good health; physical, emotional and spiritual is one of my strongest values.  I am worth it.  You are worth it.   

I’ve written about the ecstasy of the stillness of the inner life. There is also an ecstasy of movement. Blog: Re-inventing Karla
Link: http://reinventingkarla.blogspot.com/2012/04/ecstasy-of-inner-life-embracing.html

 

I’m usually attracted to the type of exercise that has rhythmic type movement.  Swimming, walking, tennis, hiking, cycling and skiing have all been a part of my repertoire at different times in my life.  I love that state of flow, when I am so caught up in the sacred rhythm of the whole thing that I forget about time.  All movement, especially at first, requires some pain and sweat.  The flow comes when I’m in good enough shape to forget about the effort and enjoy it.   

Swimming 

 

I remember in college I loved swimming laps at the indoor pool in the winter and luxuriating in the sauna afterwards.  I loved the slow, rhythmic way my body moved through the water and the breathing felt almost spiritual.  I often went into a type of trance while swimming laps and forgot about time.  

Swimmers have a special hardiness about them.  They have an independent quality and a free-spirit type vibe about them. I remember one older woman at the pool and her husband were caretakers on a huge estate.  I filed that away in my young memory that this could be a smart way to go; living on a magnificent piece of land in a sweet cottage, and not having to work fifty plus hours a week in a corporate office to get it.   

Although I’ve never been a caretaker, that woman has inspired me. I’ve always lived in interesting, vibrant places and found a way to make it work by minimizing the cost of housing, which has usually involved living in small places with very little upkeep and more time for fun!