Wide Open Spaces: Is Motorcycling a form of Meditation?

Wide Open Spaces: Is Motorcycling a form of Meditation?

I love to ride through areas where the landscape is dotted with pastoral farms. I am often filled with a pleasurable feeling of simplicity as I move past red barns, curious cows and waving corn stalks. Just seeing so much open space puts my cluttered suburban mind at ease. I cherish those moments.

Is riding a motorcycle a form of meditation?

There is a popular saying, ‘You never see a motorcycle parked outside of a psychiatrist’s office.‘ The sentiment being that motorcycling keeps you sane. Does it help you discover deeper meaning?

When riding in rural areas, I often transition into a relaxed state. Everyday events and responsibilities largely fall away and I become open. I become more in tune with seeing, feeling and experiencing my immediate surroundings on a level that is much more acute than at any other time. Is this a product of having to be hyper-sensitive to the things that make you vulnerable on the bike? Or is this my mind tuning in to the important things?

Classic red farm buildings in Columbia County, New York

4 Replies to “Wide Open Spaces: Is Motorcycling a form of Meditation?”

  1. I know that farm. More in tune with surroundings? Of course. I can always tell because my sense of smell is enlightened. I always remember the scent of certain places. That farm has a certain fertilizer and hay aroma from the tractors dragging it onto the road (hold on and stay off the brakes). Your mind is soaking in all the good around you. So in my opinion, the things around you are important to expiration and your mind is telling you to tune in, enjoy it, and never forget it.

  2. Are we bouncing off of each other Fuzz?

    In a word, yes, sometimes riding can be like meditation for me. Not so much sport riding or when I’m going at a fairly good clip. I find the meditation comes when I’m just tooling around on some pretty road, looking at the sights or lack there of.

    I used to meditate for real and the not quite nothingness in my head (I wasn’t very good at meditating) is similar to the sensation I get when the particular riding conditions are right.

  3. I think motorcycling absolutely helps recharge the soul. You get to be in your own head space, having everything put into focus, and the world just seems right while in the saddle.

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