One of my favorite concepts to talk about for the past several years is Genius of the AND. If you haven’t previously read about it, please check out my post from 2019 on the Trig site.
A few months ago I was on one of my more epic gravel bike rides. It was a 16 mile grind with the hard part being the 3000-plus feet of elevation gain at South Mountains State Park. I’ve had this mantra “Relax to go Faster” for years. But on the mountain gravel climbs, I was in a whole new level of hurt. I needed to relax to finish. There was no way I could deliver enough power to my legs if I was wasting energy grinding teeth. In that moment, and in the weeks of meditation since, the relaxation mantra has evolved.
energize and relax
with intention
for the moment
Each line of this mantra is meaningful. energize and relax is not new. It is Genius of the AND. We can strike a yoga pose by putting all of our energy into the required muscles to hold the stance while relaxing those muscles that are not useful to attain the position.
On that mountain top, it was intentional energy directed to the legs and core while relaxing the shoulders, back, face, and even hands on the bars, not useful to making the climb. This second part, with intention, is key. Great athletes know how to relax and good coaches encourage their players to relax. However, I believe that to an elite athlete, relaxing is half the equation. The best athletes in the world intentionally relax those muscles that are not useful the the task at hand while energizing those that are required for peak performance.
Think Michael Jordan’s tongue while in flight and Usain Bolt’s calm demeanor amidst 100 meters. These athletes are not just relaxing their faces, they are directing all of their energy, intentionally to the body parts that serve the moment.
And what is that moment?
It can be yoga and sport. It can also be watching a child perform, smelling the roses, intimate time with a loved one, making a meal, and having a conversation. The moment is any moment. They are the moments at work, school, sport, and social gatherings. The energy is equally diverse, including physical, mental, and emotional energy.
In this strange way, smelling the roses is not about relaxing. Rather, it is about focusing energy on the rose while relaxing those distractions that don’t serve to enjoy the rose.
As with many new realizations, they are consistent with old adages. In this case, I’m thinking of Work Hard, Play Hard. Interpreted one way, it is all about the hard part. Applying Genius of the AND, working is a lot easier when we can focus energy on work and relax distractions that don’t serve the work. Likewise, we can play “harder” (and longer) by focusing energy on the playing while letting go of those distractions which don’t serve the play.
And on that gravel route through South Mountains State Park, I was both working on the climbs AND playing down the hills AND enjoying every second of it.
health. happiness. kindness. respect.
to every-being and all-things
