With my recent foray in to speaking, particularly with my Trials of Life school presentation, I am often referred to as a motivational speaker. The word motivate in this context has never really felt good to me; let me try to articulate the reasons why.

During the last week or two of December and first few weeks of January, we are hit with advertisements showing fit, sexy women working out, and dudes with eight packs and big smiles. The prime purpose of those images is to motivate you to get in shape as a new years resolution. Many people get off with great gusto, sign up to the gym for a year, and proceed to make an honest effort to get that body they have always dreamt of.

The overindulgence that for some reason is now tied with Christmas certainly helps create the guilt necessary to fuel the fitness club membership. My wife who worked as a fitness instructor at one of these gyms can attest to this failsafe process. Motivation originates most often from outside sources and then is translated in to some kind of personal action. With the right language or sophisticated marketing scheme, it seems we can be motivated to do almost anything, and sometime we don’t even know it (scary). That dream of having a killer bod more often than not ends quite quickly and that incredible motivation you felt is gone, leaving you to feel even more deflated.

I don’t want to be a person who tries to fire people up with fake words of hope and success, especially if it leaves them feeling defeated six months later. My goal when speaking is to spark a feeling from within the students, to inspire them. Ahhh, inspire, now that is a beautiful word! The word ‘inspire’ can be read as ‘in’ + ‘spirit’, so it is a life force that comes from within. It gives you a ‘cup is always full’ attitude, and when inspired the journey is fulfilling in every moment, it’s a process oriented journey, and if things go wrong, no worries, you try something else because you’re not attached to a glorious end result. This action based on inspiration can also be thought of as listening to your heart, and this is the key point I try to express in my speaking.

Recent research in the field of neurocardiology has discovered that the hearts cells are 65% neural, same kind as found in the brain; the heart is essentially a thinking organ, constantly communicating with the brain. This is a complex topic, so I’ll stop there, but the point is that the heart is profoundly more than just a pump.

I’m going to go Yankee on you for a moment in order to make another point. The US Presidential preliminaries are in full force right now, and the November election will be of significant importance globally. It seems that the last US president to write his own speeches was Woodrow Wilson, that was back in 1913-21. For a President to have a chance at being inspirational, it seems to me that he (possibly she) must write his own rhetoric. Both Barek Obama and Hillary Clinton have books to their name, but the latter was written by a ‘ghost’. Sources say that Mr. Obama finds it tough to speak words written for him, that is because he speaks from the heart, he is genuine, and therefore one of the most inspiring potential leaders of our time.

Now it’s not always easy listening to your heart or recognizing true inspiration. Many ideas and opportunities are laced with money, power, and fame; and those promising these results are often just trying to fulfill their own needs, fill their own empty cups that have invisible leaks. I have been romanced by many opportunities that had shiny potential only to be disappointed; and I’ve had many seemingly fantastic ideas dwindle. But sometimes things fall in to place and work out fabulously, so what’s the difference? With experience, you can begin to filter out the true from the false, and the best filter is your heart. Learning to listen to this endless source of wisdom takes time. I have to make a conscious effort to devote time to reflect, with no stress, and to quiet the mind. Going for a solo ride is often a good time for that, just set the intention before you start riding, or put the query you have ‘out there’; then forget about it and try to have a quiet mind (very challenging!) instead of the normal non stop internal dialogue. When I do this, more often than not, the answer will come out of the blue in a moment of, yup…….inspiration. Ryan

There’s nothing better then getting in to a yoga routine, mixing some classes with some solo practices at home. For me though, routine is a foreign word. I travel extensively as a professional mountain biker, and since February this year, have performed over 160 trials shows. Yoga is the last thing I’d give up because it’s the only thing that keeps me going!

I ask so much of my body doing what I do, so no matter where I go, I am sure to make time for yoga, and have never regretted waking up early to do so. I can always find space to practice while travelling, even small hotel rooms can be rearranged for the appropriate footprint. If I can open a window and turn off the air conditioner, that’s a bonus; glaring ceiling lights have to go off too. Then there is the issue of that nasty carpet, and in plank position, you get a pretty good idea of what you’re dealing with. I often grab an extra bathroom towel to lay down at the head of my mat, so that deep inhalation in to upward dog doesn’t include a bunch of dust mites, not a good visualisation!! Another thing I do is lay my mat down the same side, thus keeping a ‘clean side’ for practising on, a clever idea I thought until my wife Caryn pointed out that when I roll the mat up, the dirty carpet side always touches the practice side, there goes that theory!

In a way, mountain bike trials is like yoga; I have to put my bike and body in a variety of contorted balance positions which ideally require a clear mind. In this state of ‘no thought’ the best results seem to occur, both externally and more importantly internally. With riding these ‘clear mind’ moments are deep (my physical well being depends on this!), but at the same time are very short lived (the length of the riding challenge). With yoga, I find I can have a clear mind for longer, but perhaps not as deep (that internal dialogue always pipes up). This long lasting clear mind is of course the biggest challenge for an encultured westerner like myself (I’m lucky to have 10 seconds of this!).

Hotels often have deserted fitness rooms or outdoor decks which serve as great practice areas and if the weather is nice, it’s worth looking for a peaceful setting outside. On my recent Canadian tour (drove from coast to coast to coast), I decided to do some camping along the way, and found lakeside practice spots a couple times, and then went back to the campsite for some extended savasana in my hammock, good living!!

After a good year of solo practices where I tended to flow in to my favourite positions, I think it’s time to increase my pose database and push myself a bit, looking forward to some great Fall classes with Eoin Finn!!

I think one of the emerging ethical questions of our time might be as to whether the carbon footprint of our jobs is justified. For example, travel is a huge part of my career as a professional mountain biker; and air travel is particularly harmful to the environment. Is the amount of pollution I emmit through my job worth all the positives that may come from it? Am I making enough of a difference to influence humanity toward a more integral and harmonious lifestyle? Or is my jaded western value system still tricking me, even after all the research and reading I have done, in to believing my role is important enough to travel the world?

I of course have had to justify this to myself in order to keep proceeding with my lifestyle. With this thought in the back of my mind though, I have seriously considered every trip I have been invited on, and the trips that I do agree to, I have been making sure my contribution while on the road is as complete as possible.

Education about the environment is important, this is why I linked up with The David Suzuki Fountain. When I am speaking at a school, or performing at a public event, I reference this foundation, and give out brochures about global warming. After all trips, I also ‘offset’ my carbon emissions; this has to be one of the best ways to justify polluting (although always as a last resort, reducing is the most important), as there is really no such thing as going on a trip that is “carbon neutral”. Anyway, this is enough of a rant for now, it’s nice to get these ideas out of your head and on to paper (well computer), somehow, doing this just makes the thoughts just that much more real.

Happy day everyone,

Ryan