This is the first part of a two part conversation. The original episode with Vajin Armstrong went for 2 hours so I decided to split it into two to make easier listening for you :) Vajin is professional athlete (ultra distance running), music store owner and a life long meditator on a journey of self-discovery! I’m sure you can see why I would find that endlessly fascinating - I hope you do too!
In this episode we talk about Vajin’s childhood and how his interest in meditation and self-discovery began at the early age of 15.
After which we touch on the following:-
- the value of challenging and difficult things
- explore mediation and consciousness
- the importance of engaging fully in the present moment including accepting bad/hard things
- the daily process of running as a practice for self-transcendence rather than results or competition
- the experience of ultra marathons... the transformative price we have to pay to finish (the transformation people got through in these long events)
- the juxta position of the western world getting more and more comfortable and the rise of the very uncomfortable sport of ultra marathons.. its like people are seeking to get uncomfortable BECAUSE life has become so comfortable (do we inherently know that theres something we can learn by how we deal with adversity/discomfort?)
- are marathons and ultra marathons a selfish endeavour?
Phew, and thats just part one :p
Here are some links to Vajin online:-
He has a Wikipedia entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajin_Armstrong
The music shop in Christchurch, NZ - http://www.gandharvaloka.co.nz/
Vajin's Facebook athlete page - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100040336057547
Running tips from Vajin - develop a positive relationship with running, be careful about your self talk and what you hear from those around you, embrace the intensity and develop some positive mantras you can use when it feels hard. You do not need to be afraid of the pressure - after all it’s the pressure that is responsible for your transformation as a runner
** A couple of BIG favours:
1) please like and review this podcast so more people will discover it :)
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