I have a love and hate relationship with rowing. I love the memories of being out on a river or lake, especially when it I am rowing as part of a pair. The stillness that come with the singular sound of the boat gliding across the water punctuated by the sound of our oars hitting the water and the magical sound of the swirling water through the stroke is eternally energizing! The reality of doing this in harmony with another lifts the experience to the mystical and spiritual.
As I think of rowing, even the exercise machine one finds in almost every gym, there is a single word that comes to mind, alignment. When the individuals in the boat row with alignment, mystery appears. When one pulls a stroke with an aligned body, mystery lives. When alignment meets alignment, wow, magical stuff follows! Everything rests on the process of alignment.
I have rediscovered the wonder of alignment on the rowing machine. The good news is that the process as brought back memories that I have missed for a long time. The bad news is that my legs and lungs hurt! While my back, arms, and even shoulders are doing just fine, the sources of power that I need in my rowing are being pushed well beyond their comfort zones.
I have tried to share my experience with friends that are exercising on the rowing machine. My intent is to help them discover the source of power and at the same time, help them avoid hurting themselves! Given the limitations of their teacher, I find myself trying to use different reminders that all lead to the same alignment destination. Some have progressed a lot farther than others. They start out with good form, losing it with time and tiredness.
The process reminds me of teachers that helped me. Each came playing an echo of an old psalm. “I come in the power of the Lord God, I post signs marking his right-of-way.” (Psalm 71.16)
The challenge then and now is clarity, understanding, and putting things into action.
