I bike too. I just take long walks on a regular basis.

How long we talkin?

Miles on a good day. Almost always when I'm bored.

Long walks are great on nice days. Starting a walk a half hour before sunrise or an hour before sunset always makes for a beautiful array of sights to see. Plus exercise.

Another great part about walks is that you get to use your eyes to focus on far away stuff - unless you're one of those who stares at an iphone while walking. :nono:

We spend so much of our days focusing on stuff that's up close - it's nice to use the other eye muscles once in awhile.

Thanks dad^

I used to do both of those, but I haven't in years. I started doing yoga in the 70's as a kid (I was a strange lad), and I studied Tai Chi when I was practicing Zen Buddhism in the mid to late 90's. I used to go here to meditate. I've forgotten most of what I learned, but I plan on getting back into it.

^ Yeah, tai chi's a fun exercise. Good for the health too, I find.

So you were a practitioner of Zen Buddhism? Nice. How long did you keep it up? Was there more to the practise than meditation? Was the teacher good?

I did it for a few years, around the time my daughters mother went complete batshit crazy, so probably around '96 to '99. I had a good friend who was studying psychology around that time, and he had been practicing Zazen for many years. He guided me through most of it. The different chakras, koans, and things I've mostly forgotten since then. It was a good way to keep my sanity during those times, but it also had a lasting effect and centered me from that point on in my life.

Was your Zen teacher weird? I've never met a real one, but they always seem a little crazy in the stories, crazy and enigmatic.