Balance Requires Movement

I got back on my bike, my cruiser that is. I call her the 2 6er and I took her out for a ride.  Pedaling, gliding, coasting. Feeling the wind upon my face and in my hair. I rode and rode and rode.

Over the years I have been fascinated with folks who are able to ride with no hands. I watch them. They appear at ease, sitting up tall, shoulders back, pedaling and enjoying.  I have attempted this, I have attempted to be that person, the one who sits back without their hands on the handlebars and rides free. As I pedaled I thought, now is the time, Sara. Now is the time. Do it. Lift your hands and pedal; ride free.

Then the thoughts came in. Since I am in the practice of noticing my thoughts, I am aware of their power. I stopped them by lifting up my hands. I took action and lifted my hands from the handle bar. It was short, a short lift before I put them back down. I did it. I took the action. I am aware of what could have happened had I listened to the story my mind wanted to make up, all of the what ifs that it generates. I moved beyond them and took action.

This was an experience in itself. The noticing. The anticipation. The awareness of the process. I continued, lifting my hands from the bar. I continued to let go.

Let go, lean, pedal, trust.

Let go, trust, pedal, notice, pedal, lean, course correct.

Upon reflection, what is the sequence I took? First I let go. Or maybe first came the trust, trust to let go. Then came the noticing, becoming aware of my body on the bike, my body in relation to the space on the bike, my body in relation to the movement on the bike, which lead to the subtle shifts to the left and right as I leaned to course correct while simultaneously resisting the urge to put my hands down.

There is a process here, there is a sequence to the actions I took to stay with my hands up, to remain in that place without the grip. To remain in the place in which I was exploring a new way of being, a new way of acting, a new way of interacting with space and time.

When I pedaled for what felt like a lot of pedals with no hands, a softening arose within me. Ease. I was at ease pedaling with no hands.

There is movement in the balance. To be with balance we must keep moving. To be in balance we must keep growing. Balance requires movement.

Moving and balancing one pedal at a time,

Sara