Wine Country CrossFit

Wellness Wednesday – Tiny Habits

Health is built and sustained with tiny habits. Think about the small things you do daily to maintain hygiene and feel good. Brush your teeth. Wash your face. Bathe your body. Rest. Eat.

Meditation is a tiny habit that has paid large dividends in my life.

In my life as a class V kayaker and raft guide I used to be rattled at the top of big rapids. In order to control my fear I learned to focus on my breath to keep myself calm. Sometimes I even sang in big rapids just to make sure I was breathing.

I don’t get to be in whitewater very often anymore, but I use the skills acquired on the river to manage life today. Those skills translate now as meditation.

Sometimes I don’t want to, or I don’t feel like it. But I do it anyway. Just like sometimes I don’t want to brush my teeth! I do it because the grounded feeling I create by sitting there and focusing on my breath makes for a better run through the day. It’s similar to the focused breathing I would do at the top of big rapids that led to a good line in the rapid.

Meditation is now a habit in my life, much like working out and brushing my teeth. It’s a tiny habit that has grown, and I know I’m better for it.

I started out years ago with Zen Meditation. Then I tried Tibetan. I studied Reiki. No matter your church, all the tiny habits make us better people. Better to ourselves. Better for our families. Better to those around us.

What tiny habits do you maintain that make you the person you are today?