Last night we did some unusual exercises during a taijutsu class outdoors in exceptionally cold weather. I wrenched the muscles in my back, and the pain slowly creeped up on me as the evening wore on. By dinner I was in agony, by bedtime I was groaning in pain. I woke up several times at night, painfully heaving myself around to find a position that didn’t hurt.

This morning I could barely lift a coffee cup to my lips.

Excused from work, I spent a few hours this morning experimenting with yoga and tai chi to figure out how bad the damage really was, and what I could and couldn’t do.

By noon I could walk if I was careful not to lean too far in the wrong direction. I could lift a decent amount of weight if I paid attention to my posture.  It was time for a bike ride.

I think you can guess what happened next, especially if this has ever happened to you. I’m completely healed, free of pain, back to full mobility.

Chalk it up to circulation, the benefits of bike exercise, gently working the muscles of your lower back by pedaling. Maybe it’s the magic of just going out and doing what you really love and want.

The truth is we’re resilient creatures. I think a lot of suffering comes out of our own minds. The best thing you can do is break out of the rut you’re in, change your environment, assert your freedom to go where you want on your own power.

Get out on your bike and ride.

But in this case, the destination was more important than the journey. I was heading for Griffith Park with two goal in mind:

1. To stop procrastinating and begin doing hill sprints–as I had told myself I would do six months ago.

2. To practice taijutsu–another promise I made to myself.

Maybe there was a little bit of the macho thing going on, riding out in the rain to do strenuous exercise and crazy martial arts stuff in the mud. But even if it had been sunny, I would have done it.

We’re not in this world to sit like rocks, and slowly erode in the weather. We’re here to rise and grow and always seek greater heights.

As the drizzle streamed down my face, I launched myself at the top of the first hill, sprinting full on, trying to get up there as fast as humanly possible. Finding the limits, and pushing beyond them. Flinging past gravity, mud, exhaustion–any obstacle that dares to say, “This is all you are. You can go no further.”

Riding a bike is the same battle, in slow motion. Every time you use your own power, you expand that power. And here you are. We are extraordinary human beings, and we don’t do ourselves justice if we stay inside our comfort zones all the time. You can do something extraordinary today. Right now.

That’s why I ride.

Indeed. Probably tens of thousands of dollars over the last 15 years. Before the motorist took of at the green light, he said he was planning to ride his bike to work soon, because of gas prices and the recession.

But this isn’t at all about saving money. That’s just icing on the cake. Which got me thinking…

There’s a lot of talk in the media about an economic slowdown, recession, depression, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it. And there may be some truth in what you’ve been hearing, although the jury’s still out on how bad it’s going to get.

But spending less money doesn’t have to mean lowering your quality of life. I put that in italics so you’ll remember it, and burn it into your brain. Most bike commuters probably ride their bikes to work by choice, not necessity. And even if your credit card debt, your salary cut, rising costs or some other economic factor compelled you to ride your bike to work, you’d still get all the benefits that lead to this choice by people who have other options.

You’ll pump oxygen into every cell in your body, burn fat and build lean, powerful muscle. You’ll get to work relaxed and happy, looking and feeling a lot better than the stressed out commuters who had to hunt for parking. You’ll see your town from a new perspective, and make discoveries that motorists miss. Every day is an adventure, because you’re using your mind and body and wits to overcome new obstacles that wait for you just around the corner. It’s fun!

Not to mention the self-righteous ego-boost you can indulge in, knowing that you’re saving energy, reducing pollution, giving your fellow citizens more parking and road space, and generally making the world a little bit better.

And you’ll save money. Maybe start getting ahead, paying off your debts and building up your net worth while people all around you are worried about defaults and bailouts and who knows what else. But that’s not the point.

Riding a bike is just one example of how downsizing your life, spending less, can actually improve your standard of living. The new economy (and that’s what’s happening here–not a reduction of total wealth but simply a transfer of wealth) may look scary on the surface if you’re stuck in old ways of thinking. But really it’s an adventure of new opportunity. Embrace the adventure.

Race you to the top?

Both are essentially practical survival skills that benefit your health and physical fitness as a “side effect,” (Although for many people this side effect is the main reason to take up the art.)

If you get into it at all, it can become a lifestyle with social, mental, philosophical and spiritual dimensions. The experts incorporate daily rituals that include stretching and breathing, possibly visualization, and eventually dedication to the care and maintenance of your equipment. (For the bike Samurai, your bike is your sword).

Could this evolve into the richness of a martial art? Are there certain qualifications to be considered a master? What do you have to do to become a bike blackbelt? Who are the different, rival schools? (Think Karate vs. Kung Fu, Mountain Bikers vs. Roadies or Commuters vs. Messengers.)

At what point does a “sport” become an art, or a way of life? Are we there yet?

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