{"id":688,"date":"2015-01-21T09:11:32","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T09:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ski-mastery.com\/plus\/?p=688"},"modified":"2015-08-15T18:43:35","modified_gmt":"2015-08-15T18:43:35","slug":"past-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ski-mastery.com\/plus\/past-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Past events"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I ski to reclaim my spirit from a world that is always seeking to limit my being”<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

On the limitation list we find:\u00a0bumps and past energy<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/h1>\n

Past energy is probably the hardest one for skiers to deal with. <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not only do we have to avoid squandering our thoughts on the past, in skiing we also have to deal with our body.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reflex to stiffen our body is the automatic response we have to a loss of balance. <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is a good thing. Muscles tense up to strengthen and stiffen our body, giving it resilience to regain or maintain balance. This natural mechanism gets corrupted, however, when our mental energy moves away from the present moment to recall past events. <\/span><\/p>\n

To explain what is happening let\u2019s use, as a comparison, the suspension system of a car when driving over potholes.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

When the wheels hit potholes the shock absorbers and springs stiffen to prevent the car coming off the road. So far the analogy with the car is a good one, but we are not the same as the car and in this difference the problem lies. The car\u2019s suspension system does not have a memory, nor can it anticipate in advance where the potholes are. It deals with every pothole as if it was the first and the mechanism returns to neutral once it has cleared the pothole. <\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine for a moment that the car freaks out and stiffens its suspension fifty feet in advance because it remembers not liking the impact of the previous pothole. <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The suspension system would no longer be in neutral during the moment of impact. It would have less elasticity and that is the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Imagine that eventually impacts from potholes worry the suspension system so much that it becomes unable to return to neutral and remains stiff all the time. This is exactly what happens to us. The problem that we have is that, once jolted, we associate bumps to be the cause of the unpleasant stiffening of our body. <\/span><\/p>\n

Emotionally we begin to apprehend impacts to come. <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Very quickly we get to the point where just the sight of a mogul ten yards ahead is enough to trigger the body\u2019s stiffening response. The next stage is where just thinking about moguls automatically triggers the body\u2019s stiffening response to the point where we never loosen up. <\/span><\/p>\n

This vicious circle occurs because we nourish past thoughts to apprehend the future. <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gradually we loose our ability to return to what was once our neutral state. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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