“Learn to work with the wall, not against it.”
I was introduced to climbing last year by someone who holds a special, sore spot in my heart. What I thought was just a fun adventure date, turned into an outpouring passion and mental acquisition.
I’ll be honest.. My thoughts when I approached the wall for the first time were “I gotta impress this kid!” I had no idea what I was doing!! But I’ve always had a tenacious heart — blame it on my cardinal sign
But something “turned on” inside me after that first climb. I connected to wall in such a way that it brought out my natural primal instincts. I had never climbed before, but suddenly I knew how to move my body up the side of a cliff. I knew of no techniques, but I mastered my first climb.
It was a seemingly effortless introduction, but there were many lessons left to uncover through the art of climbing… If you’re wanting to get in touch with your dark side (shadows).. Well, clinging on to a wall 40+ feet off the ground will certainly get you there my friends. It gave me a look into my array of limiting self-beliefs, lack of patience, and just down right arrogance. Nature doesn’t care who you are — when you’re on the wall, you are not of superiority, and you’ll be reminded of your vulnerability. Not only did I become aware of how my demons influenced me internally, but I also had to learn the hard way about how they impacted those around me. One small, unconscious mistake could very easily lead to the demise of the person you’re belaying. Literally, you hold the lifeline of your partner in your hands. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if anything had happened to that person the day that lesson was learned.
To me climbing is all about connecting my mind to my body and my body to the wall. If I become frustrated with the wall, the wall will only work against me. When I remind myself that I am the wall, all a sudden I began to move with the wall in what feels like a synchronized flow.
I’m beyond proud of myself for how much I’ve progressed in just a year’s time. I love climbing. I love climbing with the people I love. The earth sign in me is so complete.
Josie Blue Rohde – find me on instragram
