Early on in my climbing, I noticed to my incredible surprise that climbing brought me into the present moment, where my thoughts, my body and my awareness were in the same place at the same time, the present being. At the time, I didn’t realize the compounding effect that climbing was having on my psyche. The continual climbing experiences begin to cultivate the raw awareness of how unbalanced my mindset was truly living in. I knew myself as an overthinker, at the time I thought that was a trait that was a part of who I was… Unbeknownst to me, that was my thinking brain running wild, fixated on thoughts that were creating the mental reality I was living in.
Rock climbing is a unique classroom for recognizing fast and unproductive thinking, it was through this classroom that I first noticed and began slowing my mind’s reactions to emotions both on and off the rock.
These racing thoughts, accompanied by uncomfortable emotions, often pull us away from the present moment and dominate our lives. They clutter our experience, creating an overwhelming fog that obstructs our ability to fully engage with life. Embracing and accepting these racing reactions cultivates awareness that allows us to begin to enhance our capacity to immerse ourselves fully in the richness of each moment, across all facets of our lives.
When you pause, you'll likely notice your mind racing with reactions that may not be leading you where you intend to go, or in the manner you wish to arrive. Allow these spinning thoughts to slow down and your awareness to stabilize. By calming our thoughts, we gain a clearer view of reality, empowering us to make conscious choices as we live our lives. With practice, recognizing these reactive states without harsh judgment, accepting them as natural and fleeting, makes it easier to slow down, gain clarity, and respond thoughtfully. This mindful approach invites a deliberate and authentic way of living, true to oneself and aligned with one's inner essence.
Mindfulness is a state characterized by clear, non-judgmental, and undistracted attention to the contents of consciousness, regardless of whether they are pleasant or unpleasant.
Climbing is mindfulness. Climbing requires you to be fully present in the moment. When climbing, one must fully commit to being present on the route. So immersed in the climb, that the mind has no potential for wandering, as losing focus can result in failure and overwhelming frustration.
This intense focus cultivates the skills of staying present and allows us to just Be. Being is the rawest form of living, truly our truest self. Just mindfully choosing the moves to send the climb, giving us countless opportunities to live in the presence of Being.
Climbing demands a profound connection with one's body and its movements, fostering heightened bodily awareness, with a presence as one. With this presence in connection with nature, our truest self begins to feel inviting and natural.
Being mindful isn't about thinking more clearly about our experiences; rather, it's about experiencing them with greater clarity, even when thoughts arise.
Uncovering our natural capacity for mindfulness involves clearing away the barriers we've imagined, restraining our thinking brains from fixating on thoughts, that are constructing the mental reality that we are telling ourselves.
When we begin clearing away those barriers, by stepping purposefully into our fast-thinking mindsets and choosing to slow down. We begin the process of Mindfully Being.
Written & Photography by James Larson
Edited by Maria Harrison
Artwork by Carolina De Los Rios
Source Reference: Waking Up- by Sam Harris
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