I
love snowboarding! I get so excited
about it, I feel like I almost can't
control myself. I see the snow, have
the board and I just want to shoosh,
shoosh, shoosh! When I'm snowboarding
I get to play and improve and make mistakes
and fail and succeed and win and lose
in a light-hearted way. It's a great
way for me to remember that I can do
this anywhere, any time.
I can lean into my fear as I go down
the fall-line full throttle and either
fall on my face or not. I can cut back
and forth across the fall-line, cruising
slowly across the mountain. Either way
I get to watch my mind and stay light
and relaxed! And the icing on the cake
is that there's cool gear to go with
it!!! I really appreciated being able
to do all of this with the staff, Derrick
and Rinpoche. Each day felt like an
adventure. We all got to spend time
on the slopes feeling like snowboarders,
with the help of our gracious host Cheri.
She was patient and attentive and extremely
supportive of us all, wherever we were
on our learning curve. Thank you Cheri
for introducing this wonderful, exhilarating
activity to me! --Inayat Shiva
Satya & Chojar
Shiva
Aruna Rigdzin &
Ilana Kundini
Arjun Shiva
When Inayat
approached me last year about snowboarding,
my initial feeling and response was
of fear and disinterest. With a year
to sit with the request, I opened to
trying it, however fear and reservation
still persisted. I ended up snow boarding
for only 1.5 days, with the amazing
Cheri by my side the entire time. My
first half day, I fell, my actions were
timid, and I was definitely not balanced.
On the second day, I learned how to
maneuver more...and it was scarrrryyyy!
But by the second half of the day, something
happened. I found a sense of freedom,
peace and fun in falling! Not afraid
to be a fool! In no longer focusing
my attention on the fear of falling,
I felt more space to focus on practicing
the techniques. And soon I was able
to practice the moves while going fast
straight down the fall-line. I watched
my mind, and noticed that with each
distraction from the present moment
- SPLAT! I'd be on my face. Or as I
would grasp to the thrill of my new
found gusto for speed - SPLAT! Flat
on my face. What a powerful tool for
practice the mountain is! Now, I am
eager to go snowboarding again as soon
as possible. I am so grateful that I
have a community of support to explore
the waters that scare me, and to do
so as a practice of awareness. --Malika
Rani
Derrick Pawo & Group
Snow boarding
was such an amazing and eye opening
experience for me. I was put face to
face with my fears and began to notice
some of the ways I relate to fear. Being
on the snowboard for the second time
in my life was just as hard as the first
time, and all kinds of frustration came
up. The awkwardness of my body being
attached to my board and sheer panic
in my nervous system brought up many
feelings of being out of control. I
found myself wanting to skip being a
beginner and know how to do it already.
When those feelings arose and I attached
to them, I wound up on my face or butt
a lot. Also, my body stiffened, and
I was not having any fun. I struggled
and gave up, then struggled some more.
During the last part, I decided that
no matter what arose, I was going to
be present to the moment and work hard.
Finally, I was able to relax, enjoy
myself, and literally move forward.
Cheri, our instructor, was such an amazing
experience of compassion for me. The
entire day she was there, gently coaching
me and holding a space of openness and
kindness. She helped me realize that
with awareness, practice and guidance
I was definitely going to learn to snowboard.
This reminded me of how the Teacher
holds the vision of the disciple's Buddha-nature
no matter what. Cheri's kindness and
compassion helped me to relax into my
fears and move forward. I'm so grateful
for my experiences snowboarding and
am excited to get back on the board
soon!
--Lalita Shiva
Cheri, Our Amazing Instructor
Chojar Shiva
Snowboarding
was a great lesson in beginners mind.
When I first got to the mountain I remembered
how well I did last year, so I expected
to pick up right where I left off. However,
as soon as I strapped on my bindings
I knew that I was not in the same place
I was a year ago and I needed help!
Thoughts like, "it's like riding
a bike - I can do it," and"I'm
athletic, I can catch on no problem"
began to inundate my mind. Then a quarter
of the way down my first run on the
bunny slope....Whammm! "OOUUCH
MY TAILBONE!" I noticed that I
had all these conceptions and ideas
about how the trip was going be and
how I was going to perform on the mountain.
When I actually got on the slopes, my
version of reality was shattered. I
realized that if I was going make it
home in one piece, I needed to relax,
realize where I was at in my snowboarding
practice and work with it! So, I slid
down the mountain practicing the beginner
techniques I had learned the year before,
found my way to the instructor, and
listened to what she had to say. At
that point, I had no problem taking
it easy and really learning the moves
they had to teach us. All in all it
was an amazing experience. I really
got to see my mind in action while learning
a new skill. The mountain was absolutely
gorgeous and our instructors did a great
job molding us and giving us the ability
to get down a mountain on a snowboard.
Next year... Half Pipe! Just kidding.
--Indra Martin
Ilana Kundini
"It
is not enough to read about mountaineering,
or even to practice scaling the garden
wall. To know about mountaineering
we have to be out on that icy ridge
with sun sparkling in snow crystals."
There is something so elemental about
being out on the slopes with the brilliance
of the sun against the snow, the vast
expanse and depth of the lake spreading
out below the base of the mountain,
the stark and refreshing green of
the trees and the endless amount of
sky extending to the ends of the earth
in every direction. Amidst it all,
I stand there strapped onto my snowboard,
looking down the run that we prepare
to descend, watching Cheri as she
effortlessly glides down in front
of us, calling back and asking us
to follow.
When I
watch her, I think to myself "Ok,
no problem, I've got that" but
in the next moment find myself face
first in the snow. Again and again
I come face to face (literally) with
the difference between understanding
how to snowboard and actually knowing
how. There is the conceptual understanding
of our instructor's directions and
watching her demonstrate the techniques.
I see how she moves not
on top of her snow board, but
her snowboard moves as an extension
of her. But no matter how well I think
I understand or how much I think I've
got it, there is the moment of truth,
the moment of translating the understanding
into my muscle memory, into my actions.
There is the no-faking, no-excuses
moment where I stand alone amidst
the elements and demonstrate my actual
knowing of what I have been taught.
This is at once a humbling, amazing
and revealing experience.
--Aruna Rigdzin
