Health

Health

Holo mālie

❝ The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.❞ ~Alan Watts The past few weeks have not gone according to plan, at least not the one I had envisioned. Thousands of ‘what ifs’ have bombarded my mind, and none of them plays out exactly ‘right’; there’s always a possible twist or turn leading in different

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Proprioceptive Now

Fascia, the connective tissue that holds all the bits of our body in place, is the body’s largest sense organ. As such, fascia provides continual feedback regarding where each of our body’s parts is located in space. To operate effectively, we have to learn to listen to those signals; this is called proprioceptive awareness. Accurately understanding the information from the fascia takes practice, and developing healthy movement patterns that work with our tissues in a fluid dance rather than disintegrated forcing may take years. What I find incredibly fascinating is how similar proprioception is to consciousness, and with a little

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Mālama ‘Āina

Hawai’i, the Big Island. This is a place of Mana, spiritual energy of power and strength. Life energy flows strongly here, through all things and humans. I feel it in aloha, the presence of breath in life. I feel it in ʻohana, loving relationships with more than just blood relatives. I cannot describe for you what this feels like. I can only point to it via images. “To live with the value of aloha ʻāina is to exist as a part of the ʻāina; to have the understanding that all things within and around this world are part of an

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Vulnerability

noun 1. openness or susceptibility to attack or harm: 2. willingness to show emotion or to allow one’s weaknesses to be seen or known; willingness to risk being emotionally hurt: I’ve realised lately that while I thought vulnerability was one of the scariest internal experiences I know, when I really dive into it I find a deeper aspect. It is one of the most beautiful and exciting aspects of life. The definitions above point mostly to the unnerving facets—susceptibility to attack, risk of being hurt, weaknesses. Showing emotion is an interesting rabbit hole. There was a time when I quite

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Happy Place

I’m in my happy place.ㅤBefore now, I always thought this contentedness was limited to a certain place, time, activity, solitude, or with certain people. These things matter. There are places, people, and movements that resonate more harmoniously with this person we call Howie. So, yes, they all play a role, but not in the way I thought they did.ㅤCurrently, it’s easy to feel positive. I’m healthy, my body is responding to training like never before, and my life situations are quite stable—simple and uncomplicated. I feel excitement for what’s ahead in the next few months and the beautiful people with

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Ritual

It’s been almost three years since I last lined up at an athletic start line. A lot has happened since then, perhaps most of all internally. Unsurprisingly, there are different movement patterns appearing this time around. On the morning of race-day while sitting in meditation, I notice that the mind is generating more noise than what I discern on most mornings. Discord reverberates through the body as anxiety. Like a tap on the shoulder, a question arises; “Who, or what, was there before the mind’s gesticulations?” By turning attention towards the underlying, or real, nature of experience—that which is independent

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Crucible

I often feel disappointed that I can’t push this body as hard as I’d like to do. I question sometimes my ability to achieve some of my athletic goals. But what always stands out is gratitude for learning and experiencing. I inquire, enquire, search and experience; the result is that I’m ultimately thankful for this crucible. I’ve been to the edge of giving up an endurance path. It’s a lot of friggin work and requires a constant commitment to integrity. But my health is ultimately far better than it would have been had I stopped walking this route. Physically, metabolic

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Listen

❝ If you’re listening to the body when it whispers to you, you don’t have to hear it scream.❞~Nils van der Poel This post is not another archetypal analysis of the 5 on – 2 off, big volume training program published by Nils, https://www.howtoskate.se/. Instead, I’d like to look closer at something I’ve not seen anyone else discuss: reducing mental load and increasing confidence. “I wasn’t mentally strong as a kid, I hated to compete ever since I started speed skating, I truly hated it.” This point was made crystal clear in Nils’ “Sommarprat” 2021. In fact, he had a

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Open Questions

The quote at the bottom of this post resonates directly with one of the most important aspects of living a human life: awareness of the space in-between. In my late teens and early twenties, I showed clear evidence of an innate curiosity—an interest, or pull, to investigate the subtler aspects of existence unfazed by time. Unfortunately, the outward manifestation of pliant thoughtfulness was unmistakably absent. It wasn’t until after divorce, depression and recovery that the notion of “open questioning” became evident: (a concept my ex, now my best friend, tried for years to engage with me). As if a veil

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Connected Living

Two very special friends have agreed to crew for me at the Ultraman World Championships 2022. I am humbled by them as individuals and that they choose to be a part of this Soulful Sojourn. Crewing for a three day Ultraman race is a very rewarding job tho not an easy one. It includes very long days full of logistics, food preparation, equipment care, cleanup and, amongst many other things, providing mental and emotional support to the athlete. This allows the competitor to focus on one task—swim, bike, and run 515 kilometres punctuated by eating and a couple of nights

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Sanctuary

Nothing about the spot in front of this fireplace ever gets old. It’s certainly a safe place for me, but what else? While talking with my coach about movement patterns I shared that “I get wound up easily.” To counter this, I need to be as conscious as possible to move in exactly the opposite way, chill. I’ve spent my life investigating what this means. At first I thought it was about how I ‘acted’. It became painfully evident that there was more to it—something much deeper inviting, calling and guiding. It was a bit like seeing an object out

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Simplicity

❝ I have little to no interest in extreme mystical states—I have enough on my hands chopping wood and carrying water. I would be truly disappointed if some mystical shortcut bypassed these kind of efforts. I think I like to plod along and rub shoulders with the mundane, with its subtle surprises.❞ This quote is by a very dear friend who has a knack for clearly expressing small mysteries. For years I scaled back the amount of stuff I owned or travelled with. I needed to declutter. A lot of it had to do with cleaning house internally—mind, body, spirit.

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Health

Several years ago I battled with depression. It was hell. Thanks only to a dear friend who actually heard me, and realised the severity of my state, did things turn around. I’m happy and healthy now. But just as in addiction recovery, I have to make a conscious choice every day to shun the melancholic vortex and choose healthier paths. This takes energy. Physical exercise takes energy as well. As an endurance athlete, I spend many hours each week in training: yoga, swimming, biking, running, strength workouts and more. I do it because I love moving my body, being fit

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Infinite Pause

Occasionally, clarity presides. For me, it happens most often when sitting quietly in or after meditation. Life, in its wondrous simplicity …just …happens. Later, the individual ‘I’, believing itself to be the creator, moves about attempting to orchestrate and manage. This is both true and false at the same time. True because, the separate self creates all manner of illusions in pain and happiness. False, because these veils, overlaid on reality, mislead and complicate unnecessarily. Yesterday, while skiing, it was clear that no thought was required in order to transition the body effectively through the complex array of neural and

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Vulnerability

❝ Healing is not born of vanity. It is born of honesty. Honesty is born of pure love. And love is the most divine healer, the sweetest, holiest and most effective.❞ ~Val Kilmer I have no regrets, nor am I embarrassed. I make no excuses, nor do I feel shame. Instead, I hold dear, and strive to uphold in myself, authenticity and honesty. These two take me by the hand and lead quickly to their cousin, vulnerability. It is through this triad that I bear witness to existence, though it’s not always painless. Why is raw openness often uncomfortable? Perhaps

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Keystones to Health

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