There is a phrase I like to trot out: “Any day at the crag.” And you need two details for this to make sense: First, that a crag is any outdoors place where one goes to climb rocks. Second, the part left unsaid is that any day at the crag is better than any other day. Thus, any day at the crag. Yes, despite the litany of things that normal people would list as negatives at the crag.
To be clear, by “appreciate” I don’t mean “enjoy” exactly, although you might also enjoy the experience. I mean “recognizing the unique or worthy qualities” of the experience itself: the texture of it, the aesthetics of it, the heft of it, the heat of it, the poetry of it, the poignancy of it — whatever strikes your sensibilities when you pay attention to what’s happening.
And yet, despite that litany, the density of “if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is” moments is much higher, any day at the crag. Dappled sunlight. A cool breeze in the shade. A view. Friends. Food tastes better. Sleep is less troubled. You don’t have to climb (or go to a crag), but you do have to find your something.
As climbers, we are inventors of our own goals, and must decide on our own how to achieve them. There is nobody else there. Nobody to control. We do extreme, dangerous things, and nobody else can say what is right or wrong. There is no moral loathing. We have only our instincts about human behavior, and in the end we are our own judges.
Second, and maybe more practically, I now think about what I buy on a cost-per-use basis, which lets me account for the replacement cost and lifespan of a product when comparing between products.
Bailey presents some interesting way of thinking about purchases. One idea he presents is that you can think about anything as a subscription service— if you imagine it will be recurring. Toothpaste? …that makes sense; it’s silly to consider the cost of my “subscription” to toothpaste, (but it makes intuitive sense since we know we’re going to buy it over and over.) I’ve often heard about lifestyle creep, where the money we spend expands to meet our paycheck. And one way that happens is by habit development.
I get a pay raise—HA, yeah right… sorry. And I try this new Thai restaurant. It’s a little pricey, but I start going there occasionally, then more often, then… I’m suddenly the largest-by-purchasing-total customer of that business. doh. If instead, I had considered: This $30 meal is a subscription… wait wat. I don’t even get to the part where I try to wonder-out how often I want to eat there. I’m on the maybe-don’t-purchase-it brakes as soon as I combine “$30” and “subscription.”
Bailey also mentions the good old “cost per use” idea, which I use all the time. But just in case that’s new to you, you really need to click through.
Music and exercise were inseparable for me. That is, until this past year. I can’t remember the last time I had music playing in the background while I exercised. And, strangely enough, I’m digging the silence. Here’s why you might hit the off button on your audio player too.
Two years ago I nearly became a runner. I was starting to run short distances pretty often. And I was always running with a specific music playlist.
But that’s the only activity I do with music— hiking, biking, rock-climbing… no music. Parkour? Absolutely not, because I need to hear the noises I’m making as part of the feedback. (Am I landing softly? What rhythms am I generating? How’s my breathing? AM I breathing?)
These days I’m doing everything—including driving long distances—in silence.
How can yoga principles and breathwork enhance movement practices and overall well-being?
Yoga principles extend beyond the mat, offering insights that reshape how we move and manage stress.
I want you to get that you can use your breath in any moment, in any circumstance for whatever you’re doing, to calm yourself down to expand your movements to be able to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system.
~ Elizabeth Cunningham (4:34)
The conversation highlights the role of breath and yoga principles in enhancing physical movement and mental clarity. Elizabeth shares how her personal experiences with spinal fusion surgery and back spasms led her to rediscover yoga, which ultimately relieved her pain and transformed her perspective on movement. She emphasizes how breath control can calm the nervous system, improve posture, and foster creativity, encouraging people to integrate these practices into everyday life.
Elizabeth explains how posture and breath awareness serve as foundational tools that extend beyond yoga into disciplines like parkour or even daily interactions. She underscores the importance of breath for managing stress, preventing injury, and achieving flow states. Through humor and hands-on demonstrations, she aims to make yoga accessible and practical for all movement practitioners.
Takeaways
Breath as a tool — Breath can calm the nervous system, expand movement, and bring awareness to the present moment.
Posture alignment — Proper posture starts with engaging the core, which prevents lower back pain and fatigue.
Breath and movement — Inhalations create expansion, and exhalations drive contraction, aligning with physical movement patterns.
Breaking assumptions — Approaching yoga and breathwork with a beginner’s mindset fosters creativity and discovery.
Applicability of breath — Breathwork applies not only to physical practices but also to daily conversations and stressful situations.
I don’t think we emphasize enough the importance of evidenced-based metrics. Deep work is important. Making lots of bets is important. But if these efforts are not grounded in the reality of your field — including the hard truths about what you really do need to potentially succeed, not just what you know how to do — they are wasted.
Deep work; yes. Making lots of bets (or, fail faster, pick yourself, iterate quickly, etc.); yes. Grounded in reality; yes. Are those all necessary? yes—actually, hell yes, amen and once more, louder, for those in the back!
But are they sufficient? If you have those three, will you be successful? Setting aside the timing and random luck parts of success, nope I think you also need tenacity.
I’m not sure if it’s learned, innate or both of those. But there’s a necessary tenacity. Ever play tug-o-war with a dog and a rope-toy? That dog has the tenacity, in Spades. (Without Googleing, can you tell me where the phrase, “in Spades” comes from?) holy shit no you dont thats my rope toy i am never gonna let go as long as you want to play this is my favorite game oh my gawd best day ever!!
But, a good dog also knows it’s a game. Tenacious? Absolutely. Drop that toy like a hot potato when something better comes up? What rope toy?
What role does tantra, authenticity, and interpersonal communication play in enhancing personal growth and human connection?
TK openly discusses her experiences with tantra, explaining what it is, what it means to her, and how it relates to her goals with Lovecraft Collective. She shares her thoughts on the power of eye contact, radical honesty, and interpersonal communication. TK delves into her love of climbing, her relationship with movement, sexuality, and how the two are connected.
There’s something kind of magical that happens when you— We’re making eye contact right now, and it’s kind of silly, but if we allowed ourselves to continue to make eye contact…
~ TK (19:39)
The conversation explores the multifaceted nature of tantra, diving into its definition and its applications in fostering human connection and holistic healing. It highlights the significance of balancing energy, exploring pleasure, and integrating movement practices such as climbing and parkour into a fuller, more embodied experience of life. TK shares personal anecdotes that underline the importance of understanding and addressing sexuality as a fundamental part of being human.
The discussion also dips into the profound power of eye contact, vulnerability, and radical honesty as transformative tools in interpersonal relationships. Insights into TK’s movement background, including climbing and parkour, provide a glimpse into how physical activities intertwine with personal development and creativity.
Takeaways
Eye contact — A powerful tool for creating intimacy and understanding in human connections.
Tantra — A practice focused on integrating light, sound, and form for holistic healing and personal growth.
Movement and embodiment — Movement practices like parkour and climbing play a significant role in connecting with oneself and the environment.
Radical honesty — Emphasizing the importance of truthfulness in building trust and fostering genuine interactions.
Sexuality and self-discovery — Understanding and addressing sexuality as a core aspect of humanity and personal empowerment.
Integration of practices — Combining physical movement, tantra, and mindfulness for a balanced and enriched life.
Resources
LoveCraft Collective — The guest’s coaching and empowerment collective focused on tantra and sexual healing.
Urban Tantra — Barbara Carrellas’s book exploring tantra practices, initially developed during the AIDS crisis, to foster connection and healing.
Seattle Bouldering Project — A climbing and community space where the guest developed connections related to movement.
Since you can’t do everything, you have to choose the things that are most important. That’s where a task management system can really help. By allowing you to filter out the things you shouldn’t be doing right now, it limits the scope of what you are thinking about and makes it easier to choose the right thing. By choosing the right tasks to work on, you can tip the scales of imbalance in your favor and achieve your personal and professional goals.
I suppose it is possible that one day I will manage to let go of all the things I want to achieve. I say that only because the alternative — what I’ve been doing my entire life, chasing goals — is completely and utterly hopeless. Down that path lies madness.
Perspective and scale; Tiny moss or a hill covered in tall grass? Bald Cypress tree or the leg of an enormous dinosaur? Towering Red Oak tree or a single neuron? Moss on a rock or an Alpine mountain face with a distant forest? Spending the morning trying to exercise my visual perspectives.
I’m working with a friend of mine — Mike Bowyer — on a designed, intentional, training program. One of the critical components is working for specific times in very particular heart rate zones. So I’ve bitten the bullet, and am trying a FitBit. Online commentary seems to be that it’s not super-accurate, but I’m hoping it will do at least an ‘ok’ job of thoroughly recording heart rate during — saw this coming didn’t you? — parkour activities.
