With a twist of the wrist, a throttle opens its throat and roars. I’m in the wind, as riders like to say. They also say riding makes them feel free. When pressed to define freedom, they might describe it like being on retreat, or taking a ride just to think about things; other times to escape a situation or move forward in space and time
But no one really jumps on a motorcycle and takes a ride to enter the quiet because the rumble of a motorcycle is not quiet. A loud set of pipes for many bikers is a source of pride, but for all bikers, the loud sound from their motorcycle is a safety feature. If they can’t see us, riders think, at least they’ll hear us
Taking our place on a low-slung leather seat is almost a sitting posture, and from that stable position, riders enjoy what the road presents. On a motorcycle, odours and sounds from the highway are acute and so is the danger. A biker becomes familiar with stress immediately, but we also sense that biking does something to our bodies and brains
Motorcyclists move forward; martial artists focus on downward movement and the competitor most rooted is often the winner. Ballet artists create sustained magic with their thrilling mirage of lilting, upward movement. Yoga includes all this: we move forward in space, we ascend and also root down. But unlike the others, yoga self-work moves deliberately inward; it’s the posture and practice leading to integration of that which the deeper self is yearning to let free.
In my training to become an alcohol and other drug abuse counsellor, my teacher once said, “We drink to feel good and we drink more to feel better.” It seemed like a simple statement overflowing with truth force. We ride or do yoga to feel good, and we do more to feel better. He also said, “Nobody ever gets better until they get rid of that which is making them ill.” Yoga’s inner work aims for this cleansing exchange.
BIKER COMMUNITY
My teaching community consists of bikers who bike to feel good and bike lots to feel better. It’s not an obvious yoga community, but it’s mine. Yoga and Leather: yoga for bikers, came together three years ago when I spoke to the events coordinator at Superstition Harley Davidson in Apache Junction, Arizona, asking her if I could start a yoga for bikers’ class in the dealership.
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May 2020
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