It was a bit gloomy here in Oakland today. Cold and overcast. I didn't really feel like doing my exercises today and waited until about 6 p.m. to do them. I took things a bit easier, following the advice of my PCP friends not to overdo things. I did my jumps in sets of 100, instead of pushing to the point of exhaustion like I did a couple days ago. During this first week I have mostly ignored the soreness in my muscles.
I've always been the type to push myself to the limit physically, to see what my body is capable of. I see now how counter productive that is. I've gone through phases with my meditation practice like that too - sitting for hours a day, and then kicking myself whenever my concentration flagged (and it's very difficult to kick oneself while seated in the cross legged position).
Honestly though, I've gone through many things in life in that fashion - pushing myself strenuously towards my goals and ideals, and then being disappointed whenever falling short. I've also waded in the nihilistic end of the swimming pool. I guess that's how I came to the middle way of Buddhist practice. How I've been working with my body during these first few days of the PCP, dealing with my food cravings and hearing the words of my fellow PCPers has been a good reminder of moderation.
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5 comments:
Yeah man, killing yourself just doesn't work, and the funny thing is it actaully feeds the ego more than taking it easy.
I've been on a few mediation retreats where there was one guy who insisted of sitting more than the required time, even though it was already a pretty heavy load. When you're the one staying late in the zendo you just look like more of an egomaniac than a master.
But sometimes you gotta be that guy before you realize you don't want to be that guy.
Patrick,
That's very true. Also after realizing you don't want to be a certain way, it takes consistent work to make the changes stick. And that's the nature of PCP.
I'll swap you your rain for our rain. San Franciso rain is cool, right? Our rain this afternoon turned Tokyo into a sauna. But we can't change the weather (in the short term, at least) so we just accept. Boy, am I sounding philosophical tonight!!
While I agree that the PCP is a really effective way to train - not forcing you to destroy yourself but not letting you get lazy either - I wouldn't say that pushing your physical limits is counterproductive. It really does all depend on your goals though.
Cycling is a great example. If you're looking to improve performance and endurance in cycling you definitely have to push those limits...and it can get painful. From my own experience, the more I push the more I get out of it. Every time I go out super hard I feel twice as capable the next ride. Consistently putting in a moderate effort only seems to maintain my current level.
I have no goals of ever racing or anything, I guess I just enjoy that feeling of athleticism.
Hey Miles,
You said "I wouldn't say that pushing your physical limits is counterproductive. It really does all depend on your goals though."
I agree with you. However, in the case of jump roping, I went against Patrick's direct instruction not to exhaust myself. He knows more about this stuff than I do, why should I be making up my own rules? I was on an ego trip that day.
Anyways, thanks for the reply, and I hope your training goes well!
-A
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