Entering the sacred silence. The players, now transforming from probationers to practitioners, find themselves in a grinding battle that leaves all bruised and one bleeding. The screams and gnashing of teeth quickly turn into a silence that to my ears could be called sacred. There is a change in the eyes that occurs when someone reaches this state. They go hollow. The person is there but they are not there. As the spirit turns inward, the flesh machine works on auto-pilot. They move, but they do not move. The work is complete, but the body does not complete it. It is pure will. Purely animal. Purely human.
What is the key to this state? The key is in a philosophy that is anything but new. It is a philosophy that has been merely forgotten with other skills and paths lost with the great forgetting. It was lost with the disappearance of our natural predators. It was lost when we no longer had to wander with the seasons. It was lost when we no longer had to fear the elements. The philosophy of survival. The philosophy of getting the mind out of the way and experiencing the trial because life depended on it. Because we no longer have these external trials to overcome, the key to true experience is self imposed destruction. The Key is taking ones self to the edge of consciousness. The key is bypassing the machine to experience self, and to take that self to the gate of exhaustion. Its a humbling thing to watch, but more humbling to experience.
Slow and grinding can best describe this last evolution. Kendra and Jessica were first to complete the endurance third, JT and Brandon reached all of the weight goals, and Dave's head almost exploded from the over capacity of will power surging throughout his central nervous system. Survival.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
i am still in awe of what i saw last evolution. sheer will and desire triumphed over exhaustion and pain. all of your bodies were telling you "no more" but your spirit and heart would not give in. it was purely uplifting to be a part of.
for all of you that conquered "10 minutes of hell" and an endurance circuit so nefarious that it will now be known as "root canal" i applaud you. can't wait to see you all continue your evolution this thursday!!
Loved the workout last night guys and like we talked about briefly after it was all said and done, this specific workout was a fantastic indicator of what our strengths and weaknesses are and where we need to improve.
For me personally, I know I have gotten stronger in my legs, chest and abs have always been a strong suit but I am extremely weak in the lower back and in overall back strength. Dead lifts and pull-ups are my achilles heel and I definitely need to continue working on these to develop a fully balanced physique.
Steve and Justin, thanks so much for the constant motivation while we are trying to find that deeper inner self through the pools of sweat and terrifying grimaces. And a special shout out to Pete who was a great teammate last night and helped me get through some insanity.
There were moments last night where I finally felt myself getting to that "other" place, definitely a form of aggressive meditation and I know soon enough mind and body will become best friends.
Thanks again guys!
Post a Comment