Meditation and Cycling

I became interested in meditation over 10 years ago, when I was in my last year of university. I became a meditation student of Sri Chinmoy, which is why I ride for Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team. A few people have expressed interest in how meditation might effect my cycling so I’ve written a few notes.

What is Meditation?

• With meditation, we basically try to quieten the mind and bring to the fore a consciousness of peace.
• The experience of meditation is hard to describe because when we meditate we are not using the mind, we are not thinking. Often I feel the sense of self is in the heart rather than the mind.
• If you meditate well, it leaves a feeling of inner peace, but, also gives you a good feeling towards the world. Somehow you become more sympathetic / tolerant of other people rather than using the mind to find the invariable faults and mistakes of others.
• Introduction to Meditation – Short article, I wrote for my blog on self improvement

When I started to meditate I wasn’t cycling at all. I never thought meditation would help me become a better cyclist, but, as a side effect I think meditation does help various aspects of cycling.

Control of Thoughts. When cycling, especially time trials,  you are spending a lot of time with your own mind. Sometimes, the thoughts can be irritating, especially if you have experienced an incident with a hot headed motorist. In meditation we learn to detach from thoughts and so it can be easier to push aside frustrating incidents and enjoy the ride. I wrote here about – how to enjoy cycling. I think meditation enables you to disengage from negative thoughts and therefore enjoy cycling more.

As cyclists we may experience many painful situations / experiences where it becomes easy to nurse a sense of injustice. But, maybe because I practise meditation, my goal is to retain inner peace. I really dislike having the mental disturbance of being angry at a motorist. This is why I will try very hard not to get annoyed / frustrated at other people’s bad driving. See also: Cycling – negativity and how to enjoy the bike

Concentration. When racing, the right mental attitude is vital. If the mind gets sidetracked into following a stream of useless thoughts, your performance will definitely be affected. When racing, especially time trials, I try to keep the mind quiet and focused. At the very least I try to avoid negative thoughts, thoughts like – ‘I’m useless today – what’s the point? I might as well pack it in.’

Mantra. One exercise for meditation is the use of mantra – repeating a sacred word such as Aum, Supreme. This gives you something to focus on which is simple, yet highly concentrated. I like using this kind of inward mantra when racing. Not only does it help concentrate the mind, but you feel that certain mantra’s embody dynamism and energy.

Self Transcendence.

I became a student of Sri Chinmoy because I was interested in meditation and spirituality. I was rather surprised Sri Chinmoy placed so much emphasis on the benefits of exercise and sporting competition. Traditionally spiritual teachers, especially from the East, have been rather dismissive of the body. But, Sri Chinmoy feels that sport is of great benefit. In particular he stresses the importance of self transcendence – the idea we are competing with ourselves trying to go beyond our limitations.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team was established in the 1970s and this coincided with the boom in ultra distance running, especially multi day events such as the world’s longest footrace – the annual 3100 Mile Self Transcendence Race. (spread over 8 weeks, competitors run on average 60 miles a day)