Editorial: Fitness, Health and Spirit

August-September 2000

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Alan Wilson

Cover photo: Brenda Mickleburgh at the WaveLength Ocean Kayak Festival in 1997

Balance Fitness, Health and Spirit is the name we've given to this issue of WaveLength. The idea came to us last summer as we talked about a possible 'fitness' theme, and realized that fitness goes way beyond the physical. Real fitness is a balance of mind and body, emotions and spirit. And balance is what kayaking is all about.

As a kayaker, you sit at the waterline in a hip-hugging shell boat. You feel buoyant and balanced-both physically and emotionally. Your double bladed paddle allows you to play with the balance point, and the broad faces of the blades offer additional support on the water's surface if needed.

You feel the freedom of the trackless way, as pilot and power of your craft. Afloat in infinity, you are driven by your imagination, and responsive to forces of wind, tide, current... balancing yourself among them.

Paddling gets you into a different realm, a fluid medium, a shifting, flowing place, a beautiful and complex world of vast depth, profusion and energy. You stroke along with paddle blades like outstretched palms, powered by your breath and heart beat, following your gaze, questing around headlands, seeking, drawn.

You feel emotions surge through you as the waves pass under your kayak, as you rise and fall, knowing the energy of this planet, its breath, its heartbeat, the fundamental wave form of being.

Your paddle rises and falls, as does your kayak on the ocean swells, as do the tides, breath, pulse, spirit, life.

Going slow

In our day-to-day world, an enormous effort is expended to go fast-we build powerful machines and expend billions on roads and airports. As a result, the world is filling up with engines-whining, screaming, roaring, chugging, clanking engines.

Ted Wilson paddling the Pygmy Kayak he built     Photo Alan Wilson

Paddling gets you away from this, away from the roadways of this world. Paddling is about going slow, going at a human pace, with human power. It's human scale, in time and space.

Paddling is about 'being here' rather than 'getting there'-reminding us that there are other values than speed.

Paddling is both a very physical and a very spiritual experience. It's about finding your way, with gentleness, freedom, finesse... driven by passion and desire.

Going slow is good for you.

Fitness Audit

The concept of Fitness, Health and Spirit can be a useful tool for reflecting on our lives and our world. We can each conduct a Fitness, Health and Spirit 'audit' of our life. How fit are we? How healthy? How spirited?

How fit, healthy and happy are our relationships? Our families? Our jobs? Our communities?

How fit is our environment? Our waters? Our lands?

How balanced is our life? How sustainable is our lifestyle? Such an audit-even informal reflection-can help us proceed to live better lives in a healthier world.

This summer, ask yourself these questions and see what answers you get. Then consider a plan of action to work to greater fitness, health and spirit, for yourself and the rest of us. Go paddling!

Fit, Healthy, Spirited

As I looked around for examples of fitness, health and spirit for this issue, I realized that my own father is an excellent one.

Dad loves the ocean. He has built, sailed and paddled many boats over the years, even sailed across the Atlantic. For the past ten years he's paddled the waters around Gabriola. A few years ago he added a simple set of outriggers to his kayak to give a bit of added stability, but he's still a strong paddler.

This June, Laurie and I hosted his 80th birthday party, coupled with the first one-man showing of his art.

Over sixty friends came to to wish him well and see a selection of his paintings. A number of them sold and Dad was all smiles.

I can't image a better example of fitness, health and spirit than him. Here's to 100!