I don't meditate traditionally, but I think that motorcycle riding has a meditative effect; it draws my mind squarely into the present moment, giving me somethi

I don't meditate traditionally, but I think that motorcycle riding has a meditative effect; it draws my mind squarely into the present moment, giving me something intense enough to focus on that the noise around the edges of my brain just has to shut up for a while. It's a whole-body experience, too, especially when the road has some twists in it. I feel like I function better as a human being, generally, when I am using a motorcycle as my normal form of transportation. Downhill skiing, bouldering, and sea kayaking are other activities which have offered enough of a rush to draw my enthusiastic participation, but which, once I'm in them, have tended to produce a calm, clear, present-focused mental state. I suppose that adrenaline functions as a pretty powerful "BE HERE NOW" signal. Also, I've had experiences which felt like meditation in conjunction with psychedelics. At a campout last spring I remember spending most of an hour giggling to myself as I attempted to clear my mind of all words... I was just sitting there looking at the moon, "shoosh"ing my brain whenever words popped up, trying to just be in the moment, and see what "wordless thoughts" might feel like.