Bill Riddell

Adrenalin Meditation

I have been an amateur racing driver since the age of 16 and a thrill seeker from the time I lost my training wheels. I have also practiced meditation since my mid teens.

Until recently I failed to see the connection between what seem like polar opposites.

For some time I have noticed during adrenalin producing activity your mind is so singularly focused on the task at hand or fear/rush that there is no room for other thoughts. The incessant daily chatter in your mind evaporates. Your worries disappear - there is no room in your mind to think about what you have to get done or where you are going to find the money to pay that next bill.

I enjoy the freedom from life’s concerns as much as the adrenalin rush and sense of achievement pushing the car to a perfect lap.

Meditation is very enjoyable for me as well. It calms my mind - clearing out all thoughts.

I never truly noticed its similarities with meditation. One quietens the mind while demands total concentration.

When racing your eyes continuously scan the road as far ahead as possible - analysing the correct line through the corner and looking for the best way around the car ahead, also intermittently scanning mirrors for cars gaining ground and checking the RPM’s to ensure you shift gears at the correct time. One hand moves from the wheel, you brake hard, clutch in and change down gears, blip the throttle, and let the clutch out all in the blink of an eye. Applying measured amounts of gas to maximise speed out of the corner without applying to much and spinning the tyres or spearing off the track. That all occurred within about 5 seconds.

During 5 seconds of meditation I have slowed my breathing so much, I would slowly breathe in, feeling the air inhaled through my nose and my chest steadily rising as the oxygen fills my lungs. There are no other thoughts in my head. It would take an additional 10 seconds approximately for the breathing cycle to be completed, holding the oxygen in my lungs for 5 and then gently exhaling carbon monoxide through my mouth and feeling my chest fall.

It wasn’t until I recently read the following passage that the similarities hit home.

“The reason why some people love to engage in dangerous activities, such as mountain climbing, car racing, and so on, although they may not be aware of it, is that it forces them into the Now - that intensely alive state that is free of time, free of problems, free of thinking, free of the burden of personality. Slipping away from the present moment even for a second may mean death.” - Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

When racing my car or meditating, the effect on my mind is essentially the same - everyday thoughts vanish.

A word to the wise, meditation is a lot more cost effective than car racing, sky diving or mountain climbing and the risk levels are worlds apart.

In a future post I will discuss the basics of meditation, cover some of the benefits and introduce a few different methods sure to suit everyone. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed so as not to miss it.

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