I have run into quite a few people in the past few days talking about meditation, yoga or some form of activity that calls for “being still” or, more specifically “being in the moment”. During a recent conversation, I had to admit to a person that I did not “zen out” or stand on my head or even “ohhhhhmmmmm” myself into a state of relaxation. To which the person emphatically told me I needed to do something relaxing for my own well being. After thinking for a while though, I realized that what I had stated was not exactly true. For all the descriptions I’ve heard people use when they describe the effects of meditation, I realized it mirrored how I felt when I am riding my motorcycle.  

By being in the moment, I’m not worrying about the report I didn’t get done for the boss. I don’t worry about how horrible the traffic is going to be 15km down the road. I am not stressing about whether my leathers make me look fat. I am just …… there. Where the combination of the road and the bike and the surroundings are all taking place and just – being. There is also the fact that by being on the bike, a rider has to disengage from things that are not immediately effecting them and concentrate on the elements that are. Did my gas light really just come on? Did that car seriously just fade over partially into my lane because the guy behind the wheel was too busy checking out my bike? Or “Wow I’m glad I have a windshield! A bug that would seriously hurt if it hit my face!”  

Regardless. The calm, the zen, the “presentness” is there behind those bars and keeps me sane.