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Skateboarding as Prayer and Meditation

5/14/2021

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Skateboarding has been a big part of my life for over 20 years. I've always loved all things Skateboarding, just finding ways to be involved and keep the fire burning.

One of the big lessons that I've learnt through skateboarding is that as the years go by, your expression or interests can change, you might find a different way to skate or enjoy skating differently to when you first started out, yet your passion and enjoyment for it doesn't.

I've been pondering on this for a while and have had the realization that Skateboarding is a form of prayer and meditation. Skateboarders and Yogis may not think of these things being related or they may not consciously think of Skateboarding in this way.

I'd like to shred some light on some of these concepts.

Skateboarding as Prayer

I know this kind of philosophy can be applied to any other art form or sport, but Skateboarding, in my eyes, is so much more. It reaches into the realms of culture, lifestyle, a spiritual experience of it own kind. 


I know that commonly, Prayers are thought of as an element of connecting with the Divine, commonly found in a religious kind of way. Prayer could also be defined as a powerful way to be in the present in the moment and a way of relating to the Divine, ourselves and others. 
​
Prayer brings people together. Skateboarding brings people together. Those that pray together stay together. Those that play together stay together. You open each other up, you bond, you communicate, you raise the energy. 

You find inspiration within and around you, you set out to learn something new or master it in your own way, you find a way to express this and you celebrate your successes, as do others.  

You connect with history and become a part of paving and co-creating history. You draw on your inspiration from those who came before you and you become inspiration for those after you. The Skateboard experience is such a visual journey and so the representation of it found in artifacts such as photos and videos play such an important role in helping to connect Skateboarders across time and space. 
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I feel like this is where one connects with the Spirit of Skateboarding. When they pay their respects to the generations past, present and future, experience and enjoy the process of learning, expressing and sharing, in spirit of non-competitive, non-judgmental kinds of ways. Your Heart and Soul goes into Skateboarding when it is done with love and respect and there's something for everyone. 

As you roll further along on this path, Skateboarding opens you up to other people and other interests, yet the mindset that you can experience from it stays with you for life. 


This then leads us into the Meditative aspect of Skateboarding.
Skate Meditation
When you go into the zone to do your own thing, you transcend your own limits. You go beyond your doubts and fears. You might accomplish something that you look at differently when you are off your Skateboard. 

I know that a lot of Skateboarders can relate to the feeling and process of learning and trying a trick. 

From my experience, there are a lot of questions and a lot of factors to consider when Skateboarding. 
For instance, 
- what do your feet need to do?
- How should you position your body and body weight?
- What's happening in your surroundings?
- Are there other Skaters to look out for?
- What speed do I need to approach at?
- Are there any cracks? Are there oncoming pedestrians or traffic?
- Is there someone at the spot that will try to prevent you from Skating?
- What angle do you need to ride up to the obstacle at?
- What are your options if you need to jump off?
- Is the tripod, person filming or shooting set up and ready?
- When I eject my board, are they safe?
- Do I have a person Board-saving in case my Board goes onto the road or into the direction of other people? 
- Is there rain or wind affecting my ability to skate this spot?


When reflecting on this, there are so many questions that would be asked, so many factors that could create a lot of mental chatter, yet the focus that Skateboarders require to do their thing, astounds me. ​
This is my friend, Dane Burman. He is one of the most influential Skateboarders who is pushing the limits of modern Street Skating. I honestly don't think he could skate the way he does if he wasn't in his state of
​hyper-focus! Transcending the mind, going into the body and making his skate ideas in his imagination becoming a reality! 

(If you're interested, take the time to read this interview of my friend, Dane Burman, whom I feel, really puts all of this into practice in the video and words that follow.)

Skateboarders require this kind of dedicated attention, while being able to answer these questions, let go of the distractions and be very present and in the moment. It can be easy to fixate on some of these questions while Skateboarding and feel stuck or think that certain feats are not possible. However with practice, one reaps confidence and with confidence, there is intention and desire. It's the meditation and trance-like experience of Skateboarding that gets us beyond all of the questions.
 
You might start with these factors and questions in mind when you get to your spot and you start warming up for your trick. You might start doing a few practise moves or start flicking your board. You might try and visualize what to do. You might start rolling around, finding that line, trying and committing to landing and roll if you're feeling it, if it feels good. You go above, below and through. You carve, kick turn  balance, grind, slide. You flip, catch, land. You roll away. The energy is high. You celebrate yourself. Your friends cheer you on. You replay the footage and see if it came out alright. You watch it again and again. You're on a high from your victory. 

I know that there is a transformation of consciousness that takes place on a Skateboard.
To the uninitiated and outside onlookers, it might look like a wheeled, wooden toy. It might look like another "sport" choice. It might look like a dangerous, disruptive or juvenile activity that damages urban environments.

To the initiated, they are alchemists. They transform lead to gold. They transform their own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual limits. The alchemist tests their body, mind and spirit. They learn to let go, they learn to commit and trust themselves and their board. They experience what it feels like to roll away and to keep rolling along.

I know that these kinds of experiences evoke a sense of feeling high. They release a combination of feel-good brain chemicals such as Dopamine, Endorphins and Serotonin, which are great at leaving you feeling happy, sleeping better, releasing anxiety, stress and rolling into older age!
While medical research stipulates that the Pineal Gland calcifies in older age, leading to disrupted hormones, affecting things like sleep, moods and energy levels, amongst other things, research has also shown that meditative experiences contribute to healthy stimulation of the 
Pineal Gland. 

Skate-Meditation is the Fountain of Youth! 
​
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This is Mr Kinoshita from Japan. He is 81 years old and loving Skateboarding! Image sourced from https://unofficialnetworks.com/2020/09/21/rap-old-skater/
I know that Skateboarders know the feeling. They crave it. It keeps them youthful and I know that many Skateboarders see the world differently after these deep and meaningful experiences. They might not have the words to explain or explore this, but I think that Skateboarders are like Yogis. 

The way they connect and be present in their bodies. The level of attention and focus to push themselves and open themselves up. They experience and traverse the world differently. 

Skateboarding builds character. It connects one with their Soul. Though it can be seen as fast paced and noisy by some, it's meditation in movement. Skateboarders are pushed to be in their altered state quite quickly. This is how Skateboarding is enjoyed best - focussed and fun. 

​I recognize this when I see people skating and they're having fun. They're focussed and they're enjoying it because it's working for them. The days that it's not working, the day that boards get thrown around, deliberately broken, they're the days that there are distractions, other forms of interference getting in the way. 

Skateboarding's message is simple.

Have fun. Find joy through play. Explore creativity through self-expression. Bond with others through sharing love. Focus on what you want rather than what you don't want. Become immersed in your inner and outer world. Meditate to appreciate. Appreciate to meditate. Go within. Share the feeling. 
Roll forever.

This is the essence of Skateboarding.  

Blessings and love,
​Nathan and Friends
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Riding the (Concrete) Wave of Skateboarding, Life and Death

5/14/2021

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Recently, I had another Knee Surgery, which has meant no Skateboarding for a while on one hand and on the other, it has brought me opportunities to connect more with myself.

I set the intention to write more productively every day and working on pieces of writing that I would actually share or contribute towards a bigger project. It's been a while but I'm ready and open! I've been mostly writing for myself, taking the time to introspect the past several years.  

On that very day that I started writing, the words flowed like they always had. I took some time to centre myself, connect with my angels and guides. I wrote my title, set the intention for my topic and relaxed and breathed deeply. 

Then my fingers started typing, while it felt like the words were being dictated to me inside my mind.

That is the power of Automatic Writing! 

So that very afternoon, I received an Email from Michael Brooke, a humble man, known as the former editor of Concrete Waves Magazine. We connected after he read a post that I had written 8 years ago, titled "My Spirituality and Skateboarding"
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I had mixed emotions receiving this email. 

First, the name "Michael" is important to me, as it represents a connection to Archangel Michael, who usually shows up in my life to guide me when I ask for protection, safety, security and guidance on purpose-related questions. I've had many of these "Michael" experiences in my life that have been life-affirming, life-changing and have brought me a great sense of relief.

For instance, when I was in Hawaii, I hadn't booked a transfer from Kona airport to my hotel and I asked Archangel Michael to send someone to pick me up promptly. As soon as I said this, the driver who pulled up was picking up someone going in the same direction as me. The Driver's name was "Michael".

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Image sourced from https://www.klook.com/activity/20247-shared-kona-airport-transfers-hawaii/
​Or when I was seeking to move over and work in Okinawa to be with my Wife, I prayed and I was sought out by a name maned "Mike", who ran an English Teachers network and helped me with my internship, homestay experiences and future employment, business networking and different opportunities around the island.  
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Image sourced from http://studyandinternjapan.com/#sijHome
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For me, receiving Michael's message affirmed to me that I'm on the right path and writing and expressing myself more is definitely the way to go! So yes, I felt really excited about this life-affirmation! ​

Back to Concrete Wave, I was kind of speechless and in awe. I used to read Concrete Wave Magazine when I was a Teen. In a nutshell, it was a Skateboard magazine with inclusion at the forefront. All disciplines, all styles, all skateboarders. I grew up skating mostly on the streets as I didn't enjoy skating parks and loved exploring and filmography, so range and variety of locations was always my focus. I wasn't that interested in skating any other ways but felt that if others could find skateboarding and enjoy it in their own way, that was a really cool and inspiring thing.

Michael is also the author of one of the best books on skateboarding history, called "Concrete Wave - The History of Skateboarding". He recently sold the magazine and is now an Assistant Funeral Director in Toronto, Canada. 

Michael shared with me about some of his experiences as an Assistant Funeral Director, his spiritual awakening and consequently the journey that followed after. Basically, Michael supports families through counseling and at funerary procedures for life after death.

Over the years, I've had my share of experiences with the grieving and dying, which usually take place some time after they have crossed over.

​Imagine the kinds of healing partnerships that we can form if we had Funeral Directors on board to prepare the family for the dying and connecting with the Dearly Departed after. 


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http://www.atranquilpassage.com
A Tranquil Passage
Michael recently started a podcast called "A Tranquil Passage", which is all about exploring the sensitive topic of death and dying. Michael's intention is to use music, asking podcast guests to explore "10 songs they'd like to be remembered for at their funeral or end of life celebration" as a catalyst to opening up to the topic of death and dying.  

I was a guest on Michael's Podcast recently, where we discussed some of our experiences with death and dying in my work and explored the 10 songs that I want to be remembered by (listed below). 

You can listen to the full episode of the podcast on Spotify via this link or in the player below. 
Thank you for the opportunity to connect in this way Michael!

I love that we have roots in Skateboarding, which builds up our foundations as people, then we grow, expand outside of that world and come back into it in another way. In this kind of light, we have the potential to bridge communities and worlds. I love that as people, we share a common interest or thread, which then becomes a celebration of the parts of the world that we each explore. 

I know there are many more Skateboarders bridging different gaps in the world, inside and outside of their Skateboarding. If you are a Skateboarder or anyone who is interested in exploring different topics through this blog, please email me.

Blessings and love,
Nathan and Friends
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