Commencing rock climbing indoors-Oct 21 2007

Signed up for rock climbing at Planet Granite. Learnt with Ajo, the basics of belaying, tying the rope & climbing. And climbed. Was an awesome experience. Plan to try this outdoors sometime.

Big Basin Redwoods-Berry Creek falls-Oct 13 2007

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Joined an 'Outdoor Adventure Club' with the goal of doing something different, and getting outdoors exercise. That most of my friends are married and gradually growing into unfit 'middle-aged desis' with ponches didn't help.

Considered myself pretty fit, but this was a strenuous hike, with the group working up a good pace. There were some very friendly and garrulous people in the hike, it made the hike enjoyable. And our team leaders, including Richard, were very knowledgeable, friendly & amiable.

Such hikes should help me train for Gaumukh, probably Tapovan, or even the Annapurna circuit.

Overall, a strenuous & enjoyable experience. I was worried whether I had over-extended myself by signing up for two trips in a weekend, but as it turned out, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Spiritual Trapeze: Oct 14 2007

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Oct 14 2007:
Hmm, was this a good idea? Doing it so soon right after the hike? Which was strenuous?

Stretching helped, but still sore from the hike, and knowing from Richard that obedience was all that was required, drove all the way to Sonoma, meeting & picking up a really nice fellow first-timer on the way.

Saw the instructors, and they were all muscular & well-built. Was it really not strenuous, and just about obedience that Richard had told me about? And then it struck me. The experienced flying trapeze artists had a look of calm peace in their eyes. The calm that I would expect from a Yogi after years of meditation. And the energy they radiated was calm, Sattvic and powerful.

Based on my movie-watching experience, I noted that Merek, our primary instructor, had chiseled features that would be considered exceedingly handsome in American culture. Good looks were shared by all the instructors, including our elderly muscular helper. Or was it just the positive aura I had experienced?

There was one practice session on the ground trapeze. There were jokes about identifying the 'analytical engineer', control issues & commitment issues. Or were they just half-jokes, and half-a quick deep insight into the human nature?

I turned out to be the only guy in the group. And I volunteered to go first, it all sounded easy. And as it turned out, I was the most scared. At the top, when I had to hold the trapeze, I simply froze. And felt fear. Fear that I hadn't felt as far as my memory would carry me. And I started bargaining, asking to be let off this time, asking to go later etc. After a lot of help, I finally jumped. Once I jumped, there was no fear, only an exhilaration just to be swinging through the air. And being obedient was the last thing on my mind then.

Future jumps were easier, but the fear of jumping remained unconquered in this session. Our elderly instructor commented that he could psycho-analyze a person just on the trapeze. I told him it was probably true. An unfamiliar environment facing our fears, probably reveals some of the raw aspects of our nature, that can be caught quickly by an experienced trapezer.

Some of us moved on to the next lesson, and got caught by the instructors; others were getting back in shape, and my muscles, sore from the hike, felt a lot better.

In summary, I believe that the flying trapeze is not just fun, it is also a spiritual experience, and if you haven't tried it, you must. It is also a good body workout, esp the Abs and upper body muscles, and you feel it the subsequent days. And with regular practice, maybe one can gain the 'calm' serenity of the others, I don't think it is mere coincidence.

Capped off driving through beautiful Sonoma, seeing the grapes hanging on the vines, visited a winery for the first time realizing there were so many types of grapes, soaking in the fall colors, a nice book on travel getaways, including romantic ones :), a nice early dinner at the 'Mayan' Mexican restaurant and a wonderful chocolate Sundae at some 'Cow' ice-cream parlor. With some interesting chit-chat.

If just one different outdoors experience was so enlightening, how could the others be? I signed up for an annual membership. I plan to be back again at the trapeze, for another attempt to try & conquer my fear. After I try other different activities.

Body awareness-5k

Yesterday, I ran the VMware 5k in 35 minutes 29 seconds. For the first time in my life, I could jog without getting tired. This is the first step in moving towards longer runs.
Me, I was thrilled at this new body-awareness.

My earlier one was in the early Kung-Fu classes, where Jimmy, my demanding teacher, worked on my stances, and asked me to tighten my lower back. It took me a while to become 'aware' of such a body part. :)