HEALTH & FITNESS: Tranquillity training

HEALTH & FITNESS

Words: Tori Leckie, www.fitchicksandfastwomen.com Photos: Louis van Loon, www.brcixopo.co.za

TRANQUILLITY TRAINING

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WHETHER WE ARE RUNNERS, PADDLERS, HIKERS, CLIMBERS, SWIMMERS, CYCLISTS OR OTHER, OUR OFTEN TYPE A PERSONALITIES DRIVE US TO TRAIN DAILY, RACE REGULARLY, ACHIEVE EXTRAORDINARILY AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, FAIL EPICALLY AT TAKING OUR FEET OFF THE PEDAL AND SLOWING DOWN.

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THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE LEARNT MORE AND MORE OVER THE YEARS, BUT STILL, SOMETIMES IT TAKES GREAT DISCIPLINE TO UNPLUG, SWITCH OFF, CHILL OUT AND ZONE DOWN. The irony, of course, is that if we don’t do this every so often out of will, we’ll be forced to do it, somewhere down the line, out of necessity, and the latter will probably eat into our training, race and all-round life plans much more.

And so it was, this past weekend I delved inland for a weekend at KZN’s Buddhist Retreat Centre (BRC). A true gem, the BRC sits on a 125-hectare country estate, immersed in indigenous bush and forest and overlooking a giant lush green valley that can’t help but take your breath away. CNN featured BRC as one of the ten finest meditation retreats in the world and it took all of about five minutes to discover why. A towering Buddha sits quietly within the grounds, a Stupa (mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics) marks the perfect spot for some peace and quiet, and the Zen sand gardens and labyrinth are two further places to relax and reflect.

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On the grounds alone are some gorgeous running and hiking trails, quintessentially African, red-sand trails, with views as far as the eye can see. I skipped out of a meditation practice on the final morning and watched the sunrise over the valley before running down, up and around. It felt like heaven.

The food is utterly divine and all the recipes can be found in BRC’s two best-selling cookery books, Quiet Food and The Cake the Buddha Ate. The most divine bread is served, soft, warm and fresh out of the oven, along with home-grown organic vegetables.

Everyone is welcome, be it for a self-retreat mid week or over the weekend when there’s a packed schedule of retreats to choose from that combine anything from meditation and yoga, photography and philosophy, to cookery, healing, growth and self-development. I chose a Classical Yoga & Meditation Retreat, which delved into the relationship between asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), two of the eight limbs of yoga.

The drive up was full of chatter, which turned out to be a stark contrast from the retreat being one spent in ‘noble silence’, something we learnt only on arrival! Silence turned out to be a total joy. I realised that even when chilling out at other retreats and luxury escapes, I’m constantly talking, eager to learn and embrace as much from others as I can. But I realise now that if you are chatting from morning to night about your work, home, family, friends, lovers and others, how can you possibly be truly present and mindful of the current moment? I should however point out that I was the only one who had a giant fit of uncontrollable giggles mid practice one day and had to leave the room. I returned once calm, only to start right over again. Such bouts of true laughter are complete soup for the soul.

YOGA, I HAVE LONG BELIEVED, WORKS BEAUTIFULLY HAND IN HAND WITH RUNNING. THEY SHARE SO MANY GREAT METAPHORS FOR LIFE. THE ASANAS SUPPORT OUR BALANCE, COORDINATION AND PHYSICAL STRENGTH, AS WELL AS HELP US DEVELOP A STRONG MIND, FOCUS AND DETERMINATION.

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AS FOR MEDITATION, THIS WEEKEND MOST DEFINITELY REINFORCED ITS ABILITY TO ALSO WORK BEAUTIFULLY HAND IN HAND WITH RUNNING.

Meditation is a miracle discovery for athletes; it helps us focus, cope with pain, deal with fear, strengthen our immune systems, reduce stress, stabilize emotions, and discover our blind spots amongst other benefits, many others! I’ve often found, during long runs up high in the Alps or Himalayas, that when you go for hours without speaking, you can slow your mind right down and truly focus on your breath. You can shift into a sort of moving meditation and feel like you could continue forever.

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The pace of life at BRC is truly slow, just total tranquility. In fact, I think you’d find it hard to feel stressed there, whatever your normal training, work, home-life schedule is. Think peace over pressure, serenity over stress, calm over chaos and clarity over confusion.

SO THE NEXT TIME YOU FEEL IT’S TIME TO PRESS PAUSE FOR A MOMENT, I CAN’T RECOMMEND HIGHLY ENOUGH A VISIT TO BRC. YOU WILL LEAVE FEELING RENEWED, REFRESHED, REINVIGORATED, REPLENISHED AND READY … READY TO GET BACK INTO TRAINING, RACING AND, OF COURSE, ACHIEVING WITH ZEST AND VIGOUR! • Visit: www.brcixopo.co.za Location: Just off KZN’s District Road D64, which branches off the R56 between Pietermaritzburg and Ixopo.

Accomodation: Ranges from simple, single rooms with shared facilities to en-suite cottages and thatched chalets overlooking the valley.

Cost: See website.

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