MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Fall Winter 2018

FALL/WINTER 2018 MLCM 121 words :: Carmen Kuntz Inhale. Tap your ski poles. Exhale. Drop in. Is pausing for a deep breath part of your pre-send routine? Why take time for a big inhale before you commit to a couloir? Does it bring you into the moment, hone your focus? Does crisp air expanding your lungs draw your full concentration to the line in front of you? In the zone. Flow state. In the moment. There are plenty of names for the zen-like place where you are focused and completely engaged. In the backcountry, it means you don’t ruminate on or get pulled into your mistakes. You are able to keep some distance. But what if you could tap into this euphoric state without going to the top of the mountain? Meditation and mindfulness have recently become buzzwords, overused to the point where hearing them can induce eye-rolls. But the truth is these age-old practices can take you places not that different from a bluebird day in the mountains. Meditation, in its essence, is to intentionally conjure a focused, calm state—quieting thoughts, plans and worries—living in the now. According to internationally-renowned scientist, writer and meditation instructor Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way— intentionally and non-judgmentally—to the present moment. It’s being in the moment, even if the moment isn’t good. Meditation, mindfulness—what’s the difference between the two? “Mindfulness and meditation are a different name for the same practice; the ability to deal with thoughts and not let them affect performance,” says Manesh Girn, former manager of UBC’s Cognitive Neuroscience of Thought Laboratory. “Meditation points to a set of practices that allows us to change our relationship to our thoughts and emotions,” he explains. Mindfulness takes these thought habits and turns them into day-to-day benefits. “A common perception is that meditation is when you sit and think about nothing,” says Girn. “But that’s impossible.” He adds that while there are different types—from body scans to guided meditation where an instructor walks you through a practice—the root of meditation draws your focus to your breath, with a quieter mind as a by-product. “Meditation changes how you relate to what arises; it gives you control over emotions rather than being driven by them.” WELLNESS MEDITATION FOR MOUNTAIN PEOPLE Fact: Meditation is the mental equivalent of this. BEN HAGGAR