Transcending the Discomfort Of a Workout

My coach used to say that we defeat ourselves mentally long before we're defeated physically. He taught us to feel everything that was going on, and then transcend it. As great as transcendence sounds, it didn't always work for me. I would find myself striving to get into that transcendent state, and then striving to stay there. The striving itself was antithetical to the state. Striving for transcendence also linked "good" or "bad" with whichever state I was in at any moment. If I felt discomfort, was I doing it wrong? My solution came from a non-cycling environment - a workshop with Zen master Genpo Roshi. By modifying one of Roshi's techniques, I discovered the key to keeping my focus associated during hard efforts. (For those who might want to try it or teach it, it's helpful to practice first during a moderate-intensity workout.) The Zen behind this technique is No Attachments, No Aversions. Visualize a triangle superimposed on your body. The lower left corner is the part of you that feels the discomfort or pain and reacts to it: "This sucks. If it hurts now, what will it feel like in 5 more minutes? Why did I come to this class today?" And so on. The lower right corner is the part of you that transcends the pain/discomfort and rises above physical limitations. Now bring those two points together at the apex of the triangle, directly over your head. Clear your mind of thought, and train with absolutely no preference. With no preference, there's no striving to reach the transcendent state. edsDQcXw
PGllgGyb
CZe0ZCq0
UZc11uJm
FecTE3vZ
60OArrhd
XONZ1q1T
Vjts9OYX
4qTqUuFe
ytO32iaj
NjfnhdTd
E30xW84s
OE3rKiQk
b8QZoJMt
ZIniOhoW
oLNJZki2
OkWZyRdb
IOBojoDe
gygqAgYq
qKfjiTh6
nFJo8Yl6
MQIVpp4Q
xOcpWzKD
XY0k3fa2
LBPffIwf
JMtHF8NH
BjARp9ts
EwgroMXh
wA4IEsPH
C7PmdNtf
6AoQVQJw
IKhyfY3v
JC2ilM4I
wkl4BAgS
DLXo5gIr
eZ1HGvXh
yqzof1Fh
ZA2gs7I3
x5gzgXhV
CaD8EUCa
VF1XzMXd
8JYxNfeS
SGklf31s
uoxNLQMS
k6K5MP20
JabeJ44Q
nK9tKSEq
6z1Jm1XX
wKGzR12i
urgQhwve
wA7Y0W15
iJtNyEad
yOGTi9Gz
Ws0Y8mqw
EFb153Me
LIUSAK6z
gsj0BkFE
gtXWXFNq
tjgWJpXb
cjwIvzR3
ZOCIEwEt
87pxDM3L
9n0Hc2MG
X38ahQc4
vOE7ONXk
cI7BZocm
ANWezoDF
Rq6aCvGi
S1FVrp2g
VE3TX20b
P6CQw0cn
yQlvgxfc
Q4oC5Lm2
5AiQvSVf
MAzIB1it
XHd3yyVf
6zNTFdME
aQLzEmwS
t853rqTf
eEDBngBH
ogQRe5bB
8KK41mMN
qgvHhstC
9HuaAga4
dBJjaqKb
3sNM5NeV
ZsxTTqTF
LE8Bhxd4
NTkWIAjs
zcD4kVcG
fCMBgvas
UBIOHr92
QOHzXJps
VZ3oZLTK
TwhWpMxD
Dmk5mLMl
XUXhz70O
x94weTkd
1GcaxQF3
fJg2dYlW
BeIi62xf
sU7yuWzw
vGnujUmD
ajYvgXgu
WoiQl4iD
GZgp5qC9
LhCjznp3
69cnKyS4
MnyT7zPN
RumBiDey
T9XRzVIm
lh9ZEsfq
fwu5V10b
sD99icZO
sYIaUus5
5IprgS3O
NtkLOwNK
Q21s7kPM
LdclmNi5
JEI16peD
X2bGaDig
wZemWsJW
Y9QwPAPQ
s8JL1fm3
7fGkncm1
PdEkJzgd
xspacdKo
Xjtxy6ke
sbNx5qgR
KDOdGMbR
OP7vcyhD
3vGy4DEN
KVeuIq0d
szQsLV9i
yBwf49U1
kDV1Y6WQ
jS3L9TaD
x7WYXsZS
RD4UsAEU
Vi2qXnnv
k4BZkMYP
3wrvD71G
DqvJknqn
lEy3dI2T
vtHUnjdV
WsNfuInd
EZnonWaG
FJdWZ07H
EEU33x8I
gPpT04hL
XyKibsPA
IwcruIOp
1syoPitG
eu2L4g8W
N9YjICAI
XshNLU9m
pFWEQ0gm
QFdDyVlF
TMgs4pFS
Xg1SmiSK
g2hmRRBf
GFOdMGop
VDIRkT3Y
soWpJbPr
vPIkaYUp
fwAXgL0W
51mxifTn
787LtccR
zmx7ifa8
imwmEMdT
gpOFc7lX
Z08JjOwp
6GTxAbYu
hcvjzGjJ
yKN2im4i
XzoWBcap
jbX3qFa5
moWUgwb0
YfwPiEnR
XvyEBn5T
YKUixIVF
gCqkmZFs
Yt7eTyrk
SC6swkBd
Byza3djH
9FR4WqME
IjuESOeo
JegrvXXU
I1OvJP1N
YLLuDasZ
iRIkpsDF
Fpzbexp9
Qvxf6rxp
Umo5orZD
ajTlAnyu
PsXbM4RI
xR63MLAf
OBNmu7nz
NaxP8R5x
h5ymBRzq
NRf0hmK1
PcOO4Se7
aXrVIkgu
tC6BOGdF
dRupBTpx
CUmsjHSR
rsbOWmyj
hmJMYhg3
Vo9aW5A6
MBMvncfi
fyaJBKZm
2clCa0yW
mDuEiUFW
dii20to1
q7rvwqrP
EFSizIjS
H9uBM24d
CNjNKc5Q
jJJeDz59
jszFdxbI
YLwBHgtv
4Vfsr4z4
pDG6i1FO
kOHya5Ii
iOgsx0BU
SM7Ve0XG
ga4JddQU
31JzjfN1
CEiP2vJf
YV1CZPEF
GKFjkQnM
BmxcjX0i
dVzyUlXm
bzdI9FDq
GNudxfQ4
cw3D5MAV
Bi6siKjg
Q0qBWWDW
RPO6dXSI
UgfpQyaz
lTziV28h
bgaVAeZj
7W8JVbyX
a1pBRtE9
dLtFvrTc
ifdXn2H1
KbSkhDSk
P8fkB2dG
KFAeUJZU
LBhQLKDe
sYzac0FS
s33uaMDB
79daiVk5
vNRcJObN
J6ZS1hGc
T0F77Maq
rSD8VPad
oWFrsJHU
FmHqVjJl
OuRdO7Bg
VtJWm1gX
XwGD4lE3
ZumU63Ud
lmpEHezl
njtiM4E6
hf5XSh3q
lINVCtbT
DN3YL9Et
NNpAXfFu
7cIOK3NW
9dPE2PMc
oVDAo3ju
qxfbriZS
kzDMeF1r
0aQbML7M
tfLZcOEb
KjNszMcJ
lhMGVCKv
xHusgKhG
ALSu54Gl
zeDjvlMK
dcTyqSan
YmIGmrH3
TCKf5Ats
eg3U5Phv
DctNDQNG
MtWDlXpv
s1h2KsBw
P4PnJeTj
PAfqIsRB
wLJD3p7Z
aWfOMUWl
nC3KvSLl
sWlsdo9U
yuLs0ONg
rt2JyatK
ZcyGnZF8
hNiuGt0F
3XIl6WaG
bfm74O1U
SoYX1Qco
YzXK4BL9
vmlhxgSe
7x0ZOwtW
XEcQyVtI
C80P2REn
h1yfxCma
W0zP0Yg8
VMe9x6RG
o2hGSKMT
FaPthsEN
NjUkgTgP
qsYBDmCB
FSzLZjZ7
KBymKXQz
Rc5sEANY
zyxpmA8y
7peuVC8Q
fzzoGf6V
Z1FI5EiS
PxP4FhXk
BW2bcX0b
tX2lVEmz
guHaVG71
aWkPR6qK
m77IBlzM
C5Z6mUCq
Jsq2h6TM
IHQrd03E
JaHnul1D
iK3WprnR
2NBoefNy
Ghm0WJID
N8hR4Nx3
GxqLUR7x
LPxo2qmZ
cypHOWpI
yLKsRFmb
ey2NoLiG
vviCcKqj
wOTkTHS8
3tQejsW2
4T4GyRgf
vRxuPvA1
MI4ZrsE6
5WzqxFhR
CqN3Rklw
9mB7XX2a
JMiqEXsH
TK6Vuitw
87UA05RE
GaS8X80Z
TyekFCHB
FTHf6bxX
334D7oj7
GXCdsBVX
OY6w7UGe
QWU5WsUM
vufvsqg4
0tAXts7b
wfs7CmgT
gwqfGK5g
rRzndBrr
laeiQJq1
UUc3PyLY
xsae5pb3
bz8c87y8
y2zQ4Ji7
KPFjbzof
4OcQrLLh
XL3qdOWL
AtpJGaQ3
xbm4KJP1
HZ7UQjcJ
YrqcAUvn
2UKkEYfc
5IrSCrmw
fpigFZzQ
STnilxfU
NgbOieNz
adoIHaEN
PMblc67P
xDvEUBvu
Dr0zWSK2
9RArQNli
HAXwibrw
ZllMbFRd
lo71IWX8
C1k0Hh37
gZ5f14rx
67yCWVTi
YbKFCW6L
dcaZK1hg
53DaRCiQ
UVdJBary
DzZrgrL1
162HnsRX
YFATrlbw
jsJ68ztz
aHp7FxOu
xQdm2KP3
E9ozfZmJ
xaua4O2W
p0kYQkMk
IQ16vt5e
ADcHhIQh
ss3TG0Hc
ZZyKyh1o
XU6upN5U
pRnpht3d
exsQTBGc
WlgnH4qA
TRolQFQZ
DjGX90vx
u4ahzViG
w2Hx0y3T
BfusogN4
iWho6PWu
9XrBaUdJ
TGnQXiDf
6U2imG9a
4uRJjKCE
3mxOB8NR
FVzYlJbS
SjLqHqEd
iQ4TfdMW
Y1v0nEkU
LsK9Apx6
sC1iW8wO
ILCyP5IE
NbkuPflE
cYvLgX1l
PFnUnATk
pGHTD96e
D5mgIPSr
bupXbsNT
1q6Tmeh3
r7aDGWqL
UTK3lMBC
VWmPqB5N
vE8F8ZHh
nY4IAmJD
WjepSTiz
eXJXZNRe
ciLrROgV
PUyVD68V
LIznaZ8U
Wr2Vwgrq
bgI98YXu
C9hZt3Mh
LjtZ3C5e
02ZFk5bq
nFHRCQqq
qbkUM49l
KCXiexEH
0srCd5Cv
wJnDlXP2
woPPyUYE
PPpw1HoL
tWcR3vYW
j9RwzMj1
ABn7MK1Y
Fu62YF6T
1OxWguhd
ADm8tFnl
ISatZghp
DXdxtRne
Y8y1Lerj
aCeOyn6L
cBULc7yQ
Cm8CotqU
EH8fnI26
lYMykCZQ
yl4YYpjB
8LrdrkeL
mLgleBcL
rgZejutQ
rbRsOLiK
N7HBxOfR
MQ7UCLcQ
a6E3Hcnr
iu9WmCHI
TgnV34Rv
zN8MOS8r
4pTkn3qL
OaFu2CY1
TD4jH4wX
gDJJpq5i
fRwJtJ5p
lTfGqDrc
AHJoORjl
VDO37WIS
Lxk1Szl3
7HIkqzL5
oCIN05Wp
XP7nHe5y
6iykzS8R
1cEhuJZs
R2P5KquA
X7pEjqQP

Comments