In my Quad Dipsea race report, I touched briefly on how I used my mantras to keep me present throughout the race. Simple put a Mantra is a sound, syllable, word or phrase that is considered capable of creating transformation. Mantra origins can be traced back to India and the Hindu traditions and is commonly practiced by Buddhist and others.
When I first started doing this in 2010, I couldn't believe how well it worked. Some of my first mantras were phrases like "don't force, don't chase" and "smooth is fast". Over and over for miles upon miles these simple things would quiet the voice in my head that told me to slow down because I was hurting.
I've had several mantras since, some worked better then others and some have been more spiritual then others. Because of the success of using mantras during races, I now find myself using them on a day to day basis. If my thoughts begin to wander to events of the past or to dreams of the future I refocus on the present by repeating my mantra until my head clears and I'm satisfied that I've returned to the present. To often it becomes easy to think about good/bad times of the past or to day dream about plans for the future but the only thing that matters is the here and the now. When you're thinking about the past or the future you're not focused on the present and if you're not present your missing out. Life's to short to be missing out. Find you Mantra, stay present and do epic shit! After all; If not now? Then when? StopMe
Currently I've been using a phrase I picked up from Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh; I have arrived. I am home. In the here. In the now. I am solid. I am free. In the ultimate I dwell.
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