Mindful BMX

Today we are going to look at the idea of mindful seeing. When you turn up a new spot, skatepark, ledge, rail, or trails, it doesn’t matter; this is an excellent way to bring yourself mentally into the game.

What is mindful seeing?

When many of us think about mindfulness, we think about meditation. Meditation is a big part of mindfulness, but when you turn up at a spot, you may feel a bit self-conscious about sitting cross-legged on the ground and closing your eyes.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t care what anyone thinks, and you should meditate anyway. You’ll have heard that advice a million times before, and me saying it will not make it any more likely that you’ll do so. You should, though, not care what anyone thinks.

Ok, you’ve made it this far, and so far, I’ve not told you what mindful seeing is. We are consciously seeing and noting everything in our field of vision.

What do I mean by this?

I mean, we look at something and note how it looks. Think about if you turn up a skatepark; you can’t hit all the park at once. The best idea is to start small and not try and take in the whole world.

You might want to session a ledge. The ledge then can take up your field of vision. Now you look at the ledge in a non-judgemental way. There is wax on the ledge; it is chipped, and it has graffiti. These are all non-judgemental views of the ledge.

Looking at it and thinking about how sticky is the wax, or I don’t like that piece of graffiti. These are judgements and take us away from the practice. We are also not trying to look at the goal of grinding the ledge; you are just noticing the ledge and how it looks.

You are freeing your mind from thinking and bringing it into the moment. Slowly you are becoming more aware. You can also try this technique if you have issues with meditation. As what your looking it is less abstract than being in your mind, you may find this a great tool to help unlock the benefits of meditation.

How to mindfully see

• Look around the area you are in.
• Pick one thing to focus on.
• Look at the colours, patterns, and textures of the thing.
• Look for shapes or how the weather is having an effect on your chosen object.
• Do not be critical; observe with no judgement.
• Be aware.
• If you become distracted, then start again.

What are the benefits?

By mindfully seeing, we are trying to subdue and give ourselves a break from the endless monologue that runs through our minds. Our mind is being directed, and we are moving our consciousness from being inward-looking to outward-looking.

You should find that this benefits your mood and should help lower any stress you are feeling.