David is a professional yoga teacher based in Phuket who recently started doing rock climbing and we asked him to share with us his own personal perspective about climbing.
The idea was to gather some nice point of view from a beginner perspective, eventually his words turned to be very inspiring.
Take a deep breath and be ready to be hypnotize by his words....
Altius, citius, fortius
My first rock climb happened on a Sunday trip to Grateful Wall in Koh Yao Noi,
nearby Phuket island in Thailand (luckily for me, there weren’t any climbing bans at the time).
I had
no idea what to expect and to me it was more of an excursion to hang out with
friends. I mention this because I think the element of surprise was essential
to get me hooked on rock climbing.
The time spent since my feet got off the floor
and back on it a few minutes later I count it as one.
As I landed I had a
revelation: I realized that all throughout the climb my mind had been so
focused on the immediate action of climbing that there wasn’t room for any
other thought or feeling.
Simply put, my mind had stopped drifting
during the climb.
It had been a moving, flowing meditation, for my mind, alert and focused, had stopped wandering.
This is exactly what I look for when I meditate every day. I am learning that whether practicing yoga or climbing, the simple act of moving the body across space becomes a source of complex feedback that provides an optimal experience and adds strength to the self.
However, It should be stressed that the
body does not produce that “flowing experience” merely by its movements. The
mind has to be involved as well. Flow cannot be a purely physical process:
muscles and brain must be equally involved.
Both yoga and climbing try
to achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration,
with in turn is made possible by discipline of the body. I find that the most
important crossover between the two skills is mental focus.
That was six
months ago and it was a top rope climb. I was so thrilled with it that I bought
my own harness straight after that climb. A friend of mine lent me his old
climbing shoes and I started spending my weekends climbing and getting
familiarized with the terminology: belaying, leading a climb, clipping,
cleaning an anchor…
You guessed right, I am now addicted to it and try
to spend my free time and holidays climbing with friends.
If you have never
climbed before I suggest you give it a try. After all, the joy of
surpassing the limits of the body is open to all.
Namaste!
David Adame Diaz
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| David on his morning meditation |
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| Climber @ David - Top Ropping a 6b in Chong Plee |