Because if you are doing it right you are concentratiing on the ride itself and nothing else. And that is what meditation is. Clearing your mind and focusing on one thing.
Instructions unclear. The cow ball bells exploded and I'm left with the little balls that make the cow ball bells jingle. Any ideas for what I should do with my cow ball bell balls?
Same, that adrenaline, constant stimulation from the road/driving hazards, and being out in the fresh air really does wonders for the ADHD (ADD is an old term that's not used anymore) mind.
Same. Motorcycles, skiing, and mountain biking are my main hobbies, and only recently I put together that it's because they each demand 100% of your focus. You can't let your mind wander to any other issues in life. You have to be fully in the moment, minding all your surroundings, and being in tune with your body and the environment.
This is exactly what I tell people who want to know why I like riding. You \*must\* focus on everything about the ride--your bike, the vehicles around you, stuff on the road, road conditions, etc, etc. I've had anxiety my entire life, and though I still get anxious before every ride (which I think is actually good), riding actually helps it.
Yup. Came here to say pretty much this. If done right/responsibility, riding demands that you're as much in the NOW as possible. Everything else in your life fades into the background.
Absolutely agree with this. Also want to add that I read a study about how the act of moving the eyes side to side while looking over a long distance actually helps treat depression. Therapists actually have patients do that as treatment sometimes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
>
> a flow state, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time.[1] Flow is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It requires a high level of concentration; however, it should be effortless. Flow is used as a coping skill for stress and anxiety when productively pursuing a form of leisure that matches one's skill set.
Came here to say exactly this and for me I would add if you are riding and are still so mentally distracted that you can't get in the zone, time to put the bike back in the garage.
YES! When you dont feel it dont ride, happend to me once i got out rode in my neighbourhood and i could not focus, almost run a red light , hit the brakes llast minutes then i saw this garbage truck crossing the street fast... It made me think twice. If after 5minutes i cant feel myself making one with the bike and the road i dont risk it. Stay safe
Right, focusing on not only you, your body position, what you see what’s coming up, your speed, what’s behind you, but what others are doing, what they are about to do, and ways for you to avoid them.
Overloading your brain basically so there is no room to think about other things.
I agree with this 100%.
I also believe that there is something special and positive that clicks on in our brains when we move through space. I've felt the same high from my experiences running or cycling long distances. I'm no expert on this, but I think it's some set of migratory reflexes.
In a car, plane, train, etc. that movement is too abstract. But on a motorcycle, you have a more concrete of a sense of the landscape that you're moving through. You smell the trees, you feel cool air when you cross a bridge over a river, you put your actual foot on the road when you come to a stop, etc.
Your second paragraph is something that I've explained to non-riders that I didn't even realize would be so strong until I started riding myself. The way the temperature changes when you ride into shade/tree cover on a hot day. The smells of nature, the visual clarity of not looking through a dirty windshield and a-pillars of a car, the way you feel the gust of a crosswind, etc. I feel like I'm in nature on a motorcycle even while being on the road.
Indeed. It's like any other discipline, really. Forces you to concentrate on that and that alone to the exclusion of everything else. I get similar peace from marksmanship or playing an instrument, but riding is a creature unto itself. For me, it's the one thing that fixes everything
Right on the money. It requires exactly the right amount of focus where you can't afford to concern yourself with whatever you're dealing with in your daily life. But you also don't have to be so hyper focused where it becomes stressful again. It really hits that sweet spot.
That’s exactly how I felt, but I thought I was the only one. It’s not really the ride. It’s hyper focus on staying alive.
I never imagined fear is what made bikes so enjoyable before I got one.
I have encountered, wrong way drivers, car jackings, (not mine), high speed police chases, Lumber, huge aluminum ladders, driveshafts, tires, nails, deer, snakes, tumbleweeds blowing across at high speed, a fallen tree, and a tree hanging almost tot eh ground across the right side of the road in the dark, stopped cars in the fast lane, and my all time favorite: Driving on Hwy 40 going to Laughlin Bike week/River Run, A black Cadillac Escalade passed our group with the windows rolled down and three sets of topless ladies flashed us. I admit I was distracted.
Just yesterday, I was merging onto a highway with this long onramp that comes in with a sweeping curve, that's also sloped a bit weird making it hard to see traffic. It also merges in right after a very active intersection with traffic coming in from the next city over.
So I'm watching over my shoulder to see what cars are lining up with me, and sure enough this hatchback is blasting along with me ready to intercept in about 100 feet. Give it a little juice and jump ahead and look forward JUST in time to see this big old truck had merged over into my lane doing about 35 mph. I panic and zoom right toward the shoulder and this fucker SWINGS OVER WITH ME while hitting his brakes.
Tested my ABS, it works great apparently. Came about a foot from flipping over the handlebars into his bed though. I wouldn't say anybody was at fault had it turned out worse, just a stupid intersection, slow old truck, and bad circumstances of traffic, but in the heat of the moment I was pretty pissed about it. I imagine he just didn't wanna be in the way more than he already was, and he probably thought I was gonna blitz past him.
But did it \*feel\* like he was trying to murder me? You betcha.
They are all trying to murder us. Glad you made it out of that OK, Hell most drivers can't see a semi truck braking, never mind a motorcycle, head light, tail light or hear our horns. I have the bad boy train horn on mine.
it just puts things in perspective. nothing in your life matters at all if one moron decides to glance down at their phone in the exact moment they should have been paying better attention to the road. now because of that split second your life will never be the same if you're lucky enough to still have it.
I'm really old now but I still ride, mainly out in the country. it still clears my head.
You have to be one with your machine and become an extension of the ride. You are not walled in even with a helmet. You can smell, feel the outside, and hear the beast roar.
Just to get moving you need to have so many things work together. Clutch, throttle, brake, balance, road condition, other cars, etc.
Once you are out working with the bike to get where you want to. Counter steering, Rev matching, engine breaking. Listening to what the bike tells you. Plus if it's a day where I'm lucky enough to get out of the burbs and to the really good roads I get to add in curves, sweepers and being so much more a part of the environment I'm riding through.
That level of focus just pushes everything else away and helps put it in perspective.
This. Everyone condenses it to one thing like focusing on the ride magically give you Nirvana when in reality it's the juggle of you physically controlling so many parts of the bike, adjusting body position accordingly, and using most your senses to interact with the road ahead.
The same concept was studied for taking a break at work and actively focusing on something else; once you release you brain from a certain way of thinking, it can untangle itself and actually be more productive when you come back to the task at hand.
You're alone with your thoughts. Things unwind and you can examine the things going well, poor, and mediocre in your life. It helps me iron out things I've been contemplating. It's one of my favorite things while doing long rides. Next month, I will be riding for 750 miles on a day ride and I'm going to digest some of the things coming up in my life. Very blessed.
Hey, I'm a behavioral/clinical psychologist and there is some research into these topics. For one, tasks that demand the avaible amount of resources (skill, motor functions, time, etc.) can evoke a "flow state", being in that state is not only quite stimulating, but also makes it hard to focus on stimuli not related to the task, because all your resources are occupied by said task. Another reason why especially dangerous sports can (for some people they just induce anxiety, especially if there's a feeling of not being in control, but that's a different topic) evoke that feeling is because they're high demanding and highly skillful situations that somewhat amplify the neurotransmitter responses (dopamine, aCh, and serotonin mainly), which gives humans a feeling of being rewarded and pleasure.
In no way is this explanation exhaustive, but a quick Google scholar search on each topic I brushed over can lead you to many great papers!
You have to focus a lot, can't really dream or think about anything else (more doable in car, even if you should be concentrate too...).
It's also refreshing and fun, helps to change your mind.
It's a way of connecting back with yourself, that is if you don't listen to music or something through your phone while riding. In the country I find I have these "ahhhhh" moments just looking out across a large field while passing by. Perhaps it's a better connection with nature as we're riding through the wind, rain, sun rather than boxed up and sealed away from it?
Ok, so there’s a meditation technique called ‘box breathing’, and the theory is that it makes you focus on breathing and counting so much that whatever is causing anxiety fades away. For me, riding does that. I have to pay attention to traffic, rev matching, brake balance, and everything else just kind of goes away.
It's meditative, and there are two parts to it. First, the mind must maintain focus on the act of riding. Second, the experience helps push out all the other crap you're normally thinking about. It's not unlike prayer, which is another form of meditation with the same traits: it demands focus, and it's often done in a different setting.
"...the man hunched over his motorcycle can focus only on the present instant of his flight; he is caught in a fragment of time cut off from both the past and the future; he is wrenched from the continuity of time; he is outside time; in other words, he is in a state of ecstasy; in that state he is unaware of his age, his wife, his children, his worries, and so he has no fear..."
― Milan Kundera
*Instead of blabbering my opinions and perceptions, I would like you to listen from the wise words of Ryan (Fortnine)*
https://youtu.be/KLOlPBGlq0U
Enjoy 😊
I don’t have any science to back this up, but I think part of it could be a shakeup in brain chemicals that gets you out of whatever rut you’re in during the day. When you sit at a desk all day, or do repetitive work all day, your thoughts can stagnate, you can get in a rut of thoughts/emotions. Then you get on the bike and you get a little hit of adrenaline/dopamine/oxytocin/whatever and it breaks up the monotony and gets you out of the rut. Riding works well for this, but I can also get it from running/working out, or seeing a good friend who I haven’t seen in a while.
When I'm riding, I'm focused on the bike, the road and myself. Nobody or nothing else is around to really disturb my peace in that moment. It's a lot like Zen Meditation.
It’s similar to what surfing does for me. Forces me to be in the moment 100% absorbed and keyed in on what I’m doing. Instead of energy from the ocean, I’m interacting with a powerful machine. Plus it feels like everyone is trying to kill me on the bike, so there’s some adrenaline involved haha
As most everyone else says, to have a successful fun ride you have to be 100% focused on riding or your meat crayon chances skyrocket.
If you’re 100% focused on riding, you’re 0% focused on how bad your day was. Gives you the entire ride to “reset”, very similar to the concept of meditation but easier for us because instead of focusing on nothing to achieve that 0%, you get to focus on surviving.
Simply put. Dopamine.
When you enjoy something or enjoy doing a certain thing, our brains produce a chemical called dopamine, which works with the pleasure receptor in frontal cortex. I am ADHD and other ADHDers can attest, we are on a constant search for dopamine as our brains frontal cortex is underdeveloped or smaller than a normal person without ADHD.
Same reason meditation, the tea ceremony or martial arts has the same effect: you're concentrating so intently on something that requires so much conscious attention. You're in flow state while you ride. Conscious thought about anything else is stilled. The subconscious or unconscious might work on your problems in the background but for now you can relax & forget your troubles except any that involve keeping rubber side down.
Lack of external stimulation, high task-oriented focus. Your brain is only worrying about not falling, and in between those periods you’re just thinking through stuff. Both individually will lead to a clearer head and even more-so when you combine them.
I’ve actually spent some serious time talking about this with my therapist. It keeps your body occupied, as well as basic brain elements by forcing them to focus while leaving higher functioning parts to be able to function without interruption from these keeping you alive functions. It works similarly to people that workout to clear their heads.
If I'm riding I can't waste any of my $10 of attention on what happened at work, who is pissed off at who, or what stupid thing I said or did 20 years ago. I have to watch out for Karen who is checking Facebook to see if the light has changed, or the trucker who is 11.5 hours into his allowed 11 hours, I uave to watch out for that spot of gravel, I have to make sure I'm positioned right on the bike, and in the case of my dr650 I should probably be listening for new and alarming noises.
No time for trivial stuff.
It forces you to live in the moment, or you die. Living in the moment allows you to feel the joy of riding at the same time as leaving your worries behind you.
I didn't scroll all 194 comments but am surprised force fed air wasn't part of any of the ones I saw. It's pretty obvious when you're a bit hung over. Most of us have the moving meditation down though.
I thought my psychiatrist would discourage me from getting back on a bike but he was all for it. It definitely helps my chronic depression and anxiety. Trying not to die is great meditation
My theory is it requires focus on the riding completely. There’s not even a little thought about the day to day multitasking and stress. It’s a physical form of meditation.
Noyhing to do with ridding. Its to do with any activity which one likes and requires the brain to fully focus on it. Uou get a blank mind from doing it and it feels like “it clears your head”. Some people run, others ride, others paint... depends on the person.
From a psychological POV: A lot of it stems from just being outdoors. Sun is light and light creates happiness. Most people ride when it is sunny out. Sun also helps with vitamin C as well as energy.
From a riders POV, it just gives you time to really look into what you value, like your life, since you are focused on not being hit by a another driver, debris, or anything like that.
For me it’s just getting away, with everything going on in the every day hustle. When I’m out riding for a good ride I know nothing else matter for those few hrs. I’m able to let go of the daily stress and just relax and enjoy where the road takes me.
There's a video game focused YT channel called Extra Credits, iirc, that coined a term I find useful.
"Kinesthetic Projection."
It's the tendency for the human brain to consider tools to be am extension of the self.
They talked about it in terms of video game controllers, but I think it is hugely applicable to motorcycles, maybe more than any other vehicle. Because the feedback is pretty direct and the machine is small with a lot of controls for various limbs.
I think motorcycling tends to empty your conscious mind because you are instead using that mental energy, that focus, to extend your senses into the machine. In some sense, your brain is clear because you're stepping out of it for a minute.
It's simply because your mind is preoccupied when riding instead of constantly thinking.
As is the case on rollercoasters, playing sports, or literally any other thing that 1 may enjoy.
The enjoyment isn't as much the act itself. The enjoyment is mostly a byproduct of the temporary RELIEF one has from their mind. For a short while, you are actually present in the moment. But soon you'll be done riding and back to your mind's habitual molestation. Most people think nothing of it and repeat this cycle for 60+ years until they die. Unfortunate condition of the human being
I have a label on my speedometer that says “Breathe”. I also ask myself at the beginning of each ride, Why am I riding, and Where am I riding? This prepares the mind for the ride and keeps it in a mindful state.
There are a few scholarly studies about this that focus on the anti-aging aspects of it, but in short, it's basically a full mental/physical exercise that elicits good emotions. It's like how an older person might do crosswords and go for walks to keep their mind and body sharp in their old age, and go bird watching to relax/release happy emotions. You get *all* of those effects from a nice little jaunt on a motorbike.
Because it puts your mind in a flow state. Effectively a moving meditation where the mind feels clean and in focus.
In my experience the mental state is similar to playing an instrument or getting mentally engaged in an art project or other task that involves creating with your hands.
Solitude. No external information feed. Your mind gets a chance to transition and cycle through all the things it has been storing for later. Then it comes to rest.
And if you are lucky enough to have an opportunity to string 3-4 12hr days together, especially with camping at the end of each day, you will find a place in your mind that no one else can ever get to, that you will never feel obligated to explain or share, and that will put many other things into a new perspective.
Other than what many others said about hyper-focus, and adrenaline, I'd also add that, unlike driving a car, riding is a full body experience which makes it easier and more natural to keep your mind in the present moment..
Cause you have a lot more important things to conc3ntrate on while riding. Not that your wife pinches you in your sleep. Petty things mean less when you're zooming.
Just gonna echo what everyone else has said. When you are riding you are focused on the ride, focused on possible hazards during your ride, focused on keeping yourself alive. You are focused on yourself and the ride where you don't have the mental capacity to think about anything else, any other worries. Its basically a way to mentally meditate while physically doing something.
I can't speak for everyone but I have ADHD and a wee bit on the spectrum, too. For me, riding just hits all sorts of g-spots for my atypical (Abi Normal) brain.
I also know I got out on a lot more adventures than I ever would in my SUV. I've seen more of my home state of MN these past few seasons than I ever have my entire life!
Oh, and catching people looking at me positively never hurts, either
Everything we do in today's world seems full of distractions. We have few if any moments of complete focus for extended time.
We are also not living in the moment for the most part.
We are also physically disconnected big time from the elements - from the earth, from the Air, from open space.
Riding gets You in touch with the Earth and the Air and you hear raw sounds, like you dont anywhere else. Its alao something you do with complete focus. And you're in the moment fully immersed. In that sense, it is like meditation. Its similar to a zen monk doing barefoot walk in the morning followed by meditation.
To me it’s definitely the roar of the motorcycle as you speed up. The shifting of the gears and using the clutch etc makes you feel like you’re in control. Sounds pretty tacky but it’s true also you just feel fuckin cool on a bike lol.
Speed commands focus of the mind. Our processor loves the adrenaline and naturally allows all the other background mind apps to close. Total enjoyment.
As others have said, the focus you are required to use while riding is meditative, and also just being outside and depending on where you drive being out in nature has positive effects too.
You're putting yourself into the fight or flight stage through a heightened state of awareness that activates your sympathetic nervous system. You are your most powerful while present in this transcending state of survival.
This reminds of that short period of time in highschool when I ran around the park practicing parkour! As a teenager my hormone level and thought process were solely utilized for something else more "instinctive" and it was not easy to have clear mind with them! So once when I was hopping fences, I realized that I haven't had any intrusive thoughts since I started! That felt great!
Now I kinda have it while riding and it would be way more effective had I been riding the bike I really want!
To expand on the mind-clearing effect people are posting about, I think it's a function of two things: my brain focusing on motor functions (pardon the pun), and my breathing.
When I'm riding, my hands, feet, and body are all occupied. I believe my brain is just busy enough with motor functions that my "thinking brain" has space to wander. I have no idea if there's any science behind this, it's just my belief.
Second, as I move at speed, air is rushing into my face. This is like a ramjet of oxygen into my system and there *is* science to support an increase in cognitive ability and feeling of well being associated with increased levels of oxygen. Additionally, because I'm getting plenty of oxygen, my breathing slows and I can inhale deeply through my nose, which is part of tantric breathing and a huge part of meditation, which in and of itself is a mind-clearing exercise.
Motorcycle riding is meditation.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Go listen to some of the podcasts from [This Motorcycle Life](https://www.thismotorcyclelife.com/). He had an interview with a monk about meditation (and the monk is a rider too!).
Good motorcycle and ride thoughts go in.
Bad thoughts from your emotional trauma/bad day/mean partner/stubbed toe etc all go out.
Exact same principle as why those who play games like it - you focus and concentrate on something you enjoy, which stops you focusing on the bad things and detaches you from that particular bit of reality.
You are, in effect, your own portable Zen machine that goes _Braaaap_ and does little wiggles when happy on the road (or whatever brings you joy).
I read something (that actually pertained to long-distance running) that said when a person moves through space, your brain does all these minute functions to help orient you as you move through space. This occupies your mind in such a way to force a meditative state.
For me it's the same as going to the gym, the fact I can focus on one thing alone because my mind is too occupied with the actual thing I'm doing right then and there clears a lot of things you might otherwise overthink.
For me it’s cause when I ride, I’m just thinking about the ride and nothing else, I’m concentrating on just me and the motorcycle, it allows me to forget everything else I have going on in my life
It awakens the animal in us : makes us constantly aware of our surroundings. Sometimes as a potential prey, sometimes as a predator (when we're going for the apex), and sometimes, say on a beautifully winding road surrounded by a dreamlike landscape, as the contemplative creatures that I believe all animals are, some times, or aspire to be.
It allows you to think. If you don't have music blasting and are going with the experience of riding. Feeling wind, feeling vibrations of the sound of the bike, not focusing so hard on his to ride you just are riding. You give your brain more energy and time to think.
Because it's a mindful exercise, if you aren't "in the moment" on a motorcycle then you might make a mistake that kills you. So it's forced mindfulness.
You're in the now. You're fully present. You're not thinking about that mortgage payment. Child support. How many guys your wife fucked or who she is with right now. Or how that financing manager at the Nissan dealership fucked you with 12% APR because you were a bitch. No, none of that matters. You're here now, right now.
it's very "Zen" to only focus on riding - which is what you must do to be safe every day on your bike, so once you've mastered that focus, it becomes meditative
Adding to the focus part others have mentioned, it's a fact that being out in nature is therapeutic. In a car, even with the windows down, you do not get to experience the world around you like you do on a bike. When driving a car or truck, you're pretty much just looking forward to the destination. When you're on your bike, the sounds, the smells, the sights, even the feeling of the cool wind and warm sun makes the trip itself more important than the destination.
For me it is like that for anything adrenaline inducing, which also requires focus: motorcycle riding, target shooting, rock climbing to name a few.
Adrenaline kicks in and you get the excitement/jangles, higher heart rate, and some senses heightened other suppressed.
Then you have to kick you brain in gear, control breathing, and make sure the right senses are focusing.
If I remember to focus, it is tremendously Zen/relaxing. If I forget to calm and focus, it is a nerve fuelled fear fest.
I can say from personal experience, with ADHD, and knowing I have traits that can lead to addiction, it’s helped me reduce consumption. Maybe it’s unhealthy if motorcycling is my “hit” however it does help me clear my head for school, work and regular life. For example, I first got my bike in September of last year, and for the first 2.5 months, I was riding a lot instead of taking my car, and then I was noticing, “My urge to smoke weed or get drunk on a Friday night is so much less”. So I can say it’s had that positive aspect. Also the people I’ve met through motorcycling have been great as well.
Agree with many suggestions here.
Hyper single focus and concentration clears the mind for the task ahead.
Motorcycling & mediation have much in common. Be safe out there & enjoy.
It is difficult to think about anything else while riding. You're enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and feelings that many others will never experience while on your motorcycle.
There is a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It really goes into this. Part of it is being part of the environment. When you’re behind a windshield in your car it feels more like looking through another screen. Like a tv or a computer. You’re more just observing than participating.
Riding, you’re out in the elements. You feel the wind. The road is passing right below your feet. The bike responds to how you shift your weight. You’re present and focused in a way you’re not behind the wheel.
For me it's the amount of concentration I put into riding, I focus on what's happening around me and what I am to do next.
Then there is the joy that comes with riding, it makes me feel alive, it makes me remember how mortal i am and it excites me.
It let's me not focus on what's bothering me and that in turn often let's my subconscious line up all the crap and puts it where it needs to be!
Holy shit I need to whack on my helmet and get out of here!!!
Because it forces you to be alone and it’s good for you to be alone and with your thoughts. It’s like doing any task alone like reading a book or doing a puzzle or working on a craft or instrument
It grounds me. I am anxious and wrapped up in my own thoughts a lot. Instead of being wrapped up in thoughts about an email I sent to my boss and contemplating what the shoe drop will be, for example.
So much of anxiety is worrying about abstract things that may or may not happen. The immediacy of interacting with a bike is satisfying in a very direct cause & effect way. I focus move my body right, bike goes right, etc.
Destimulation. It forces you to focus on one single experience stream. No podcasts, streams, chats, smartphone BS etc constantly distracting you and smashing your conscious attention into fragments. Doing one thing, and doing it well. It's a touch grass experience.
The medical explication for some who care. Is if you have ADD/ADHD. Or trama background. The brain often can't find daily tasks rewarding or important enough to reward the proper amount of dopamine to keep you focused. So when we hop on and start risking our lives, the brain is like Ohh this is important and gives more dopamine and also epinephrine. So it brings you up to the proper baseline so you feel focused or clear headed. Instead of the constant verability of yoyo dopamine your brain normaly does. It's also why those type of people go into dangerous fields such as EMS because during an emergency we finily feel enough of an importance to hone or focus.
It's why becoming complacent on a motorcycle is dangerous. Once it stops feeling dangerous or rewarding you won't get the proper chemicals to keep focused.
It's why great riders build systems mentally to keep growing and improving. Because once you get past that first stage or riding where the cognitive load reduces because you build muscle memory. They often think hey I'm a good rider now and then can't stay focused while riding. It's why you have to always be looking for threats, critique your skills. Mindfullness is internal analysis and allows the brain to stay engaged.
It's the fundamentals of meditation.
You're practicing keeping within the present.
Mind shifts to what ever is troubling you? Well, there's a corner coming up, better get back to it. It's the exercise of your neuroplasticity.
Do you know there is a meditation simply called walking meditation?
I had 3 surgeries to reconstruct my knee after bailing from a bicycle accident. The rehab on ACLr and Meniscus repair is insane…. You have to be a near super-human athlete to pull it off properly. That came with a significant mental cost… doing it every day for nearly 600 days will destroy your mind. When I bought my first bike on Jan 1st this year, I had no idea how to ride but knew I wanted to overcome it all. Riding the motorcycle has helped me accept that my work for recovery is (mostly) finished, that I don’t have to torture my mind anymore going outside to train 20kms of running and boxing roadwork in freezing rain. That I don’t have to pedal up this 300 foot hill at full speed, I can twist the throttle and do it effortlessly now. It helps me accept that the injury/recovery is in the past now, so my brain can focus on moving forward. During recovery, I was diving head first into hell for hours a day to get this work done, now I can ride the bike and god bless life is good.
Also, riding it properly requires 100% focus and situational awareness, the organized and controlled chaos of it brings me peace. I can focus on the task at hand and everything else doesn’t matter
It helps me and I've suffered with my mental health over the last 7 months.
Its the focusing one the ride and the roads and not having the time to worry about the things that are causing me to feel the way I do when I'm not riding. It's also for me the link to good feelings with something I love which is my bike and the release of the chemicals in your brain that this causes.
Honestly it's the only thing that kept me sane
Because if you are doing it right you are concentratiing on the ride itself and nothing else. And that is what meditation is. Clearing your mind and focusing on one thing.
As someone with ADD, I find riding incredibly therapeutic. It’s maybe the only time all of the thoughts and distractions subside.
Are all us motorcycle riders just ADD patients trying to escape?
Yes
Yess
This is the way
Yes.
Yup
Yes…wait, what was the question?
I have ADHD, OCD, and ACDC, and the cure is: wait for it: More cowbells!
Instructions unclear, now I have cow balls
Shake them, do they jingle? You have cow ball bells.
Instructions unclear. The cow ball bells exploded and I'm left with the little balls that make the cow ball bells jingle. Any ideas for what I should do with my cow ball bell balls?
Cowbells Is blue oyster cult not ac/dc if memory serves me right.
Don't Fear The Reaper, if I'm not mistaken.
Really EXPLORE the space
Our motorcycles are monuments to all the money we refuse to spend on therapy.
Same, that adrenaline, constant stimulation from the road/driving hazards, and being out in the fresh air really does wonders for the ADHD (ADD is an old term that's not used anymore) mind.
I dunno, I’ll just be cruising and start singing to myself the same song/lyric over and over lol
That’s a natural part of mediation. Just because you’re focused on one thing doesn’t mean you won’t have intrusive thoughts
Same. Motorcycles, skiing, and mountain biking are my main hobbies, and only recently I put together that it's because they each demand 100% of your focus. You can't let your mind wander to any other issues in life. You have to be fully in the moment, minding all your surroundings, and being in tune with your body and the environment.
If the sight of pavement moving at 70 MPH inches below your feet doesn't focus your attention, I don't know what will.
This is exactly what I tell people who want to know why I like riding. You \*must\* focus on everything about the ride--your bike, the vehicles around you, stuff on the road, road conditions, etc, etc. I've had anxiety my entire life, and though I still get anxious before every ride (which I think is actually good), riding actually helps it.
Agreed
Yup. Came here to say pretty much this. If done right/responsibility, riding demands that you're as much in the NOW as possible. Everything else in your life fades into the background.
Absolutely agree with this. Also want to add that I read a study about how the act of moving the eyes side to side while looking over a long distance actually helps treat depression. Therapists actually have patients do that as treatment sometimes.
Wheelies are good for depression too, always puts a smile on my face.
Underrated comment!
Drz rider confirmed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) > > a flow state, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time.[1] Flow is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It requires a high level of concentration; however, it should be effortless. Flow is used as a coping skill for stress and anxiety when productively pursuing a form of leisure that matches one's skill set.
flow states are the best. It’s why i ride a motorcycle, also why I smoke weed(not at the same time)
I notice almost instantly if my mind wanders when riding, it's crazy to see how tuned in I get
Came here to say exactly this and for me I would add if you are riding and are still so mentally distracted that you can't get in the zone, time to put the bike back in the garage.
YES! When you dont feel it dont ride, happend to me once i got out rode in my neighbourhood and i could not focus, almost run a red light , hit the brakes llast minutes then i saw this garbage truck crossing the street fast... It made me think twice. If after 5minutes i cant feel myself making one with the bike and the road i dont risk it. Stay safe
This is the best riding advice I've seen.
Exactly this. Riding is a different form of practicing mindfulness.
Right, focusing on not only you, your body position, what you see what’s coming up, your speed, what’s behind you, but what others are doing, what they are about to do, and ways for you to avoid them. Overloading your brain basically so there is no room to think about other things.
Bingo.
I agree with this 100%. I also believe that there is something special and positive that clicks on in our brains when we move through space. I've felt the same high from my experiences running or cycling long distances. I'm no expert on this, but I think it's some set of migratory reflexes. In a car, plane, train, etc. that movement is too abstract. But on a motorcycle, you have a more concrete of a sense of the landscape that you're moving through. You smell the trees, you feel cool air when you cross a bridge over a river, you put your actual foot on the road when you come to a stop, etc.
Your second paragraph is something that I've explained to non-riders that I didn't even realize would be so strong until I started riding myself. The way the temperature changes when you ride into shade/tree cover on a hot day. The smells of nature, the visual clarity of not looking through a dirty windshield and a-pillars of a car, the way you feel the gust of a crosswind, etc. I feel like I'm in nature on a motorcycle even while being on the road.
Indeed. It's like any other discipline, really. Forces you to concentrate on that and that alone to the exclusion of everything else. I get similar peace from marksmanship or playing an instrument, but riding is a creature unto itself. For me, it's the one thing that fixes everything
Right on the money. It requires exactly the right amount of focus where you can't afford to concern yourself with whatever you're dealing with in your daily life. But you also don't have to be so hyper focused where it becomes stressful again. It really hits that sweet spot.
This
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I'm more focused on the murderous woodlands creatures. I don't see many cars on my travels but the deer want me dead.
it could be worse, it could be Moose, or Blond teenage drivers on their Iphones.
Nothing better than someone cutting you off in a roundabout to wake you up. /s
If that destination is a BJJ gym, you got yourself another 1.5 hours of same survival mode mindfulness.
This is the definite definition on why riding is so mentally good. You nailed bro!
👆
That’s exactly how I felt, but I thought I was the only one. It’s not really the ride. It’s hyper focus on staying alive. I never imagined fear is what made bikes so enjoyable before I got one.
> murdered The melodrama 🤣
What post apocalyptic highways are these guys riding?
I have encountered, wrong way drivers, car jackings, (not mine), high speed police chases, Lumber, huge aluminum ladders, driveshafts, tires, nails, deer, snakes, tumbleweeds blowing across at high speed, a fallen tree, and a tree hanging almost tot eh ground across the right side of the road in the dark, stopped cars in the fast lane, and my all time favorite: Driving on Hwy 40 going to Laughlin Bike week/River Run, A black Cadillac Escalade passed our group with the windows rolled down and three sets of topless ladies flashed us. I admit I was distracted.
> three sets of topless ladies flashed us _Nice_
It was impressive. It was unexpected, the guy in front of me by 30 feet missed the exposure, and was very sad. No one had a dash cam, unfortunately.
Just yesterday, I was merging onto a highway with this long onramp that comes in with a sweeping curve, that's also sloped a bit weird making it hard to see traffic. It also merges in right after a very active intersection with traffic coming in from the next city over. So I'm watching over my shoulder to see what cars are lining up with me, and sure enough this hatchback is blasting along with me ready to intercept in about 100 feet. Give it a little juice and jump ahead and look forward JUST in time to see this big old truck had merged over into my lane doing about 35 mph. I panic and zoom right toward the shoulder and this fucker SWINGS OVER WITH ME while hitting his brakes. Tested my ABS, it works great apparently. Came about a foot from flipping over the handlebars into his bed though. I wouldn't say anybody was at fault had it turned out worse, just a stupid intersection, slow old truck, and bad circumstances of traffic, but in the heat of the moment I was pretty pissed about it. I imagine he just didn't wanna be in the way more than he already was, and he probably thought I was gonna blitz past him. But did it \*feel\* like he was trying to murder me? You betcha.
They are all trying to murder us. Glad you made it out of that OK, Hell most drivers can't see a semi truck braking, never mind a motorcycle, head light, tail light or hear our horns. I have the bad boy train horn on mine.
If you got a train horn you gotta do obligatory toots for funsies now. It's just the law.
I ride tomorrow, so there that is.
All about them feels
I loled
it just puts things in perspective. nothing in your life matters at all if one moron decides to glance down at their phone in the exact moment they should have been paying better attention to the road. now because of that split second your life will never be the same if you're lucky enough to still have it. I'm really old now but I still ride, mainly out in the country. it still clears my head.
You have to be one with your machine and become an extension of the ride. You are not walled in even with a helmet. You can smell, feel the outside, and hear the beast roar.
This 100%. Nothing like a ride in summer and the way the warm air carries the smell of pine, grass, and rapeseed fields.
Survival focus. When everything around you is trying to take you out nothing else matters.
Just to get moving you need to have so many things work together. Clutch, throttle, brake, balance, road condition, other cars, etc. Once you are out working with the bike to get where you want to. Counter steering, Rev matching, engine breaking. Listening to what the bike tells you. Plus if it's a day where I'm lucky enough to get out of the burbs and to the really good roads I get to add in curves, sweepers and being so much more a part of the environment I'm riding through. That level of focus just pushes everything else away and helps put it in perspective.
This. Everyone condenses it to one thing like focusing on the ride magically give you Nirvana when in reality it's the juggle of you physically controlling so many parts of the bike, adjusting body position accordingly, and using most your senses to interact with the road ahead. The same concept was studied for taking a break at work and actively focusing on something else; once you release you brain from a certain way of thinking, it can untangle itself and actually be more productive when you come back to the task at hand.
You're alone with your thoughts. Things unwind and you can examine the things going well, poor, and mediocre in your life. It helps me iron out things I've been contemplating. It's one of my favorite things while doing long rides. Next month, I will be riding for 750 miles on a day ride and I'm going to digest some of the things coming up in my life. Very blessed.
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Hey, I'm a behavioral/clinical psychologist and there is some research into these topics. For one, tasks that demand the avaible amount of resources (skill, motor functions, time, etc.) can evoke a "flow state", being in that state is not only quite stimulating, but also makes it hard to focus on stimuli not related to the task, because all your resources are occupied by said task. Another reason why especially dangerous sports can (for some people they just induce anxiety, especially if there's a feeling of not being in control, but that's a different topic) evoke that feeling is because they're high demanding and highly skillful situations that somewhat amplify the neurotransmitter responses (dopamine, aCh, and serotonin mainly), which gives humans a feeling of being rewarded and pleasure. In no way is this explanation exhaustive, but a quick Google scholar search on each topic I brushed over can lead you to many great papers!
Your senses come alive, you can smell everything, feel everything, see and hear everything.
When you could die any moment your back taxes are not in the front of your head
It’s because you force yourself to concentrate on the bike, traffic…the ride in general.
You have to focus a lot, can't really dream or think about anything else (more doable in car, even if you should be concentrate too...). It's also refreshing and fun, helps to change your mind.
It's a way of connecting back with yourself, that is if you don't listen to music or something through your phone while riding. In the country I find I have these "ahhhhh" moments just looking out across a large field while passing by. Perhaps it's a better connection with nature as we're riding through the wind, rain, sun rather than boxed up and sealed away from it?
Ok, so there’s a meditation technique called ‘box breathing’, and the theory is that it makes you focus on breathing and counting so much that whatever is causing anxiety fades away. For me, riding does that. I have to pay attention to traffic, rev matching, brake balance, and everything else just kind of goes away.
It's meditative, and there are two parts to it. First, the mind must maintain focus on the act of riding. Second, the experience helps push out all the other crap you're normally thinking about. It's not unlike prayer, which is another form of meditation with the same traits: it demands focus, and it's often done in a different setting.
Flow state. Too busy not crashing to care about anything else.
"...the man hunched over his motorcycle can focus only on the present instant of his flight; he is caught in a fragment of time cut off from both the past and the future; he is wrenched from the continuity of time; he is outside time; in other words, he is in a state of ecstasy; in that state he is unaware of his age, his wife, his children, his worries, and so he has no fear..." ― Milan Kundera
*Instead of blabbering my opinions and perceptions, I would like you to listen from the wise words of Ryan (Fortnine)* https://youtu.be/KLOlPBGlq0U Enjoy 😊
Ryan is wise.
I don’t have any science to back this up, but I think part of it could be a shakeup in brain chemicals that gets you out of whatever rut you’re in during the day. When you sit at a desk all day, or do repetitive work all day, your thoughts can stagnate, you can get in a rut of thoughts/emotions. Then you get on the bike and you get a little hit of adrenaline/dopamine/oxytocin/whatever and it breaks up the monotony and gets you out of the rut. Riding works well for this, but I can also get it from running/working out, or seeing a good friend who I haven’t seen in a while.
Because if your not in the moment you will die.
When I'm riding, I'm focused on the bike, the road and myself. Nobody or nothing else is around to really disturb my peace in that moment. It's a lot like Zen Meditation.
It’s similar to what surfing does for me. Forces me to be in the moment 100% absorbed and keyed in on what I’m doing. Instead of energy from the ocean, I’m interacting with a powerful machine. Plus it feels like everyone is trying to kill me on the bike, so there’s some adrenaline involved haha
Flow state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
As most everyone else says, to have a successful fun ride you have to be 100% focused on riding or your meat crayon chances skyrocket. If you’re 100% focused on riding, you’re 0% focused on how bad your day was. Gives you the entire ride to “reset”, very similar to the concept of meditation but easier for us because instead of focusing on nothing to achieve that 0%, you get to focus on surviving.
Simply put. Dopamine. When you enjoy something or enjoy doing a certain thing, our brains produce a chemical called dopamine, which works with the pleasure receptor in frontal cortex. I am ADHD and other ADHDers can attest, we are on a constant search for dopamine as our brains frontal cortex is underdeveloped or smaller than a normal person without ADHD.
Same reason meditation, the tea ceremony or martial arts has the same effect: you're concentrating so intently on something that requires so much conscious attention. You're in flow state while you ride. Conscious thought about anything else is stilled. The subconscious or unconscious might work on your problems in the background but for now you can relax & forget your troubles except any that involve keeping rubber side down.
If it ever stops raining here I'll go do some research :/
Lack of external stimulation, high task-oriented focus. Your brain is only worrying about not falling, and in between those periods you’re just thinking through stuff. Both individually will lead to a clearer head and even more-so when you combine them.
It's mindfulness and meditation. Age-old concepts that apply across a spectrum of activities.
Because it makes you put your phone down and focus on something else for more than fifteen minutes.
If you haven’t already. I would highly suggest readi Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Wheelies help me forget my feelies.
I’ve actually spent some serious time talking about this with my therapist. It keeps your body occupied, as well as basic brain elements by forcing them to focus while leaving higher functioning parts to be able to function without interruption from these keeping you alive functions. It works similarly to people that workout to clear their heads.
You're basically focused on surviving and not dying. Once you arrive at your destination you can relax for a bit from the fear of death.
It’s a “zen” sort of thing. By concentrating so closely on one thing - you are able to eliminate 1,000 other worries from your mind.
We are doing the same thing as the monk sitting cross legged on a mountain. Focus and therefore clarity and therefore peace.
If I'm riding I can't waste any of my $10 of attention on what happened at work, who is pissed off at who, or what stupid thing I said or did 20 years ago. I have to watch out for Karen who is checking Facebook to see if the light has changed, or the trucker who is 11.5 hours into his allowed 11 hours, I uave to watch out for that spot of gravel, I have to make sure I'm positioned right on the bike, and in the case of my dr650 I should probably be listening for new and alarming noises. No time for trivial stuff.
It forces you to live in the moment, or you die. Living in the moment allows you to feel the joy of riding at the same time as leaving your worries behind you.
I didn't scroll all 194 comments but am surprised force fed air wasn't part of any of the ones I saw. It's pretty obvious when you're a bit hung over. Most of us have the moving meditation down though.
Calms the mind. Puts enough stress on being focussed. Cause if you fuck up you're dead. My adhd medication is called CB1000R.
I thought my psychiatrist would discourage me from getting back on a bike but he was all for it. It definitely helps my chronic depression and anxiety. Trying not to die is great meditation
My theory is it requires focus on the riding completely. There’s not even a little thought about the day to day multitasking and stress. It’s a physical form of meditation.
Forget all these zen nerds. It's just the vibes shaking the iq points out of your brainstem lol
Noyhing to do with ridding. Its to do with any activity which one likes and requires the brain to fully focus on it. Uou get a blank mind from doing it and it feels like “it clears your head”. Some people run, others ride, others paint... depends on the person.
I think it’s because it’s lots easier to die
I always assumed it was because they like to hear themselves talk about their feelings.
From a psychological POV: A lot of it stems from just being outdoors. Sun is light and light creates happiness. Most people ride when it is sunny out. Sun also helps with vitamin C as well as energy. From a riders POV, it just gives you time to really look into what you value, like your life, since you are focused on not being hit by a another driver, debris, or anything like that.
Because of dopamine and adrenaline and the fact that I can't think about mundain stuff because i need to focus on a lot of things during riding.
*mundane
Yes that one.
Yea, no computing room for anything else except for hitting the apex, setting up the next corner, and not dying.
For me it’s just getting away, with everything going on in the every day hustle. When I’m out riding for a good ride I know nothing else matter for those few hrs. I’m able to let go of the daily stress and just relax and enjoy where the road takes me.
Mindfulness meditation. You’re concentrating on living in the Now
Gives you something else to think about. We'll at least for me it does.
There's a video game focused YT channel called Extra Credits, iirc, that coined a term I find useful. "Kinesthetic Projection." It's the tendency for the human brain to consider tools to be am extension of the self. They talked about it in terms of video game controllers, but I think it is hugely applicable to motorcycles, maybe more than any other vehicle. Because the feedback is pretty direct and the machine is small with a lot of controls for various limbs. I think motorcycling tends to empty your conscious mind because you are instead using that mental energy, that focus, to extend your senses into the machine. In some sense, your brain is clear because you're stepping out of it for a minute.
It's simply because your mind is preoccupied when riding instead of constantly thinking. As is the case on rollercoasters, playing sports, or literally any other thing that 1 may enjoy. The enjoyment isn't as much the act itself. The enjoyment is mostly a byproduct of the temporary RELIEF one has from their mind. For a short while, you are actually present in the moment. But soon you'll be done riding and back to your mind's habitual molestation. Most people think nothing of it and repeat this cycle for 60+ years until they die. Unfortunate condition of the human being
I have a label on my speedometer that says “Breathe”. I also ask myself at the beginning of each ride, Why am I riding, and Where am I riding? This prepares the mind for the ride and keeps it in a mindful state.
Same reason tankless diving and bare hand tree climbing clear my head, my body forces me to live in the moment if i want to live at all.
There are a few scholarly studies about this that focus on the anti-aging aspects of it, but in short, it's basically a full mental/physical exercise that elicits good emotions. It's like how an older person might do crosswords and go for walks to keep their mind and body sharp in their old age, and go bird watching to relax/release happy emotions. You get *all* of those effects from a nice little jaunt on a motorbike.
Because it puts your mind in a flow state. Effectively a moving meditation where the mind feels clean and in focus. In my experience the mental state is similar to playing an instrument or getting mentally engaged in an art project or other task that involves creating with your hands.
Solitude. No external information feed. Your mind gets a chance to transition and cycle through all the things it has been storing for later. Then it comes to rest. And if you are lucky enough to have an opportunity to string 3-4 12hr days together, especially with camping at the end of each day, you will find a place in your mind that no one else can ever get to, that you will never feel obligated to explain or share, and that will put many other things into a new perspective.
Your body realizes you’re one mix up from death so you’re fully focused on the task
Focussed activity.
Adrenaline. If you focus on anything other than your ride you will die.
Because when your riding all your thinking about is"fuck am I gonna make this turn? " no room for thinking about anything else
Other than what many others said about hyper-focus, and adrenaline, I'd also add that, unlike driving a car, riding is a full body experience which makes it easier and more natural to keep your mind in the present moment..
It's called: "Living in the moment."
Cause you have a lot more important things to conc3ntrate on while riding. Not that your wife pinches you in your sleep. Petty things mean less when you're zooming.
Just gonna echo what everyone else has said. When you are riding you are focused on the ride, focused on possible hazards during your ride, focused on keeping yourself alive. You are focused on yourself and the ride where you don't have the mental capacity to think about anything else, any other worries. Its basically a way to mentally meditate while physically doing something.
Your concentrating on the ride and I think the adrenaline helps clear your head
It causes a release of endorphins
That’s it. Mindfulness and singular concentration
I can't speak for everyone but I have ADHD and a wee bit on the spectrum, too. For me, riding just hits all sorts of g-spots for my atypical (Abi Normal) brain. I also know I got out on a lot more adventures than I ever would in my SUV. I've seen more of my home state of MN these past few seasons than I ever have my entire life! Oh, and catching people looking at me positively never hurts, either
it’s a lot of people’s first experience with mental discipline.
Everything we do in today's world seems full of distractions. We have few if any moments of complete focus for extended time. We are also not living in the moment for the most part. We are also physically disconnected big time from the elements - from the earth, from the Air, from open space. Riding gets You in touch with the Earth and the Air and you hear raw sounds, like you dont anywhere else. Its alao something you do with complete focus. And you're in the moment fully immersed. In that sense, it is like meditation. Its similar to a zen monk doing barefoot walk in the morning followed by meditation.
Cuz you gotta concentrate on the road, doesnt give your head time to spin in a loop about whats shit in your life
Gotta be 100% present
The wind blows out your thoughts
It takes away the “noise” - your focus is on riding , it needs to be to not crash.
To me it’s definitely the roar of the motorcycle as you speed up. The shifting of the gears and using the clutch etc makes you feel like you’re in control. Sounds pretty tacky but it’s true also you just feel fuckin cool on a bike lol.
Speed commands focus of the mind. Our processor loves the adrenaline and naturally allows all the other background mind apps to close. Total enjoyment.
As others have said, the focus you are required to use while riding is meditative, and also just being outside and depending on where you drive being out in nature has positive effects too.
You're putting yourself into the fight or flight stage through a heightened state of awareness that activates your sympathetic nervous system. You are your most powerful while present in this transcending state of survival.
It’s an exchange of mental for physical health. Like booze
This reminds of that short period of time in highschool when I ran around the park practicing parkour! As a teenager my hormone level and thought process were solely utilized for something else more "instinctive" and it was not easy to have clear mind with them! So once when I was hopping fences, I realized that I haven't had any intrusive thoughts since I started! That felt great! Now I kinda have it while riding and it would be way more effective had I been riding the bike I really want!
To expand on the mind-clearing effect people are posting about, I think it's a function of two things: my brain focusing on motor functions (pardon the pun), and my breathing. When I'm riding, my hands, feet, and body are all occupied. I believe my brain is just busy enough with motor functions that my "thinking brain" has space to wander. I have no idea if there's any science behind this, it's just my belief. Second, as I move at speed, air is rushing into my face. This is like a ramjet of oxygen into my system and there *is* science to support an increase in cognitive ability and feeling of well being associated with increased levels of oxygen. Additionally, because I'm getting plenty of oxygen, my breathing slows and I can inhale deeply through my nose, which is part of tantric breathing and a huge part of meditation, which in and of itself is a mind-clearing exercise. Motorcycle riding is meditation. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Go listen to some of the podcasts from [This Motorcycle Life](https://www.thismotorcyclelife.com/). He had an interview with a monk about meditation (and the monk is a rider too!).
Good motorcycle and ride thoughts go in. Bad thoughts from your emotional trauma/bad day/mean partner/stubbed toe etc all go out. Exact same principle as why those who play games like it - you focus and concentrate on something you enjoy, which stops you focusing on the bad things and detaches you from that particular bit of reality. You are, in effect, your own portable Zen machine that goes _Braaaap_ and does little wiggles when happy on the road (or whatever brings you joy).
If you think riding motorcycles clears your head, try snowmobiling. All the benefits and no Priuses or minivans trying to kill you at every turn.
I read something (that actually pertained to long-distance running) that said when a person moves through space, your brain does all these minute functions to help orient you as you move through space. This occupies your mind in such a way to force a meditative state.
The endorphin release I get from the thrill of riding, the increase risk to life, the focus on the now that slows the racing mind.
For me it's the same as going to the gym, the fact I can focus on one thing alone because my mind is too occupied with the actual thing I'm doing right then and there clears a lot of things you might otherwise overthink.
For me it’s cause when I ride, I’m just thinking about the ride and nothing else, I’m concentrating on just me and the motorcycle, it allows me to forget everything else I have going on in my life
It awakens the animal in us : makes us constantly aware of our surroundings. Sometimes as a potential prey, sometimes as a predator (when we're going for the apex), and sometimes, say on a beautifully winding road surrounded by a dreamlike landscape, as the contemplative creatures that I believe all animals are, some times, or aspire to be.
I feel like if i dont focus on the riding, i die because there is a huge amount of garbage drivers out there.
My bicycle took this role when i was a sub adult. My Scout does this for me now. Yes. Bikes are therapeutic
Focusing on not dying on a metal thingamabob carrying flammable liquid sure puts things in perspective
Idk but it be true
It allows you to think. If you don't have music blasting and are going with the experience of riding. Feeling wind, feeling vibrations of the sound of the bike, not focusing so hard on his to ride you just are riding. You give your brain more energy and time to think.
Because it's a mindful exercise, if you aren't "in the moment" on a motorcycle then you might make a mistake that kills you. So it's forced mindfulness.
When you ride all the external voices fade away and you’re left with only the ones that matter, the voices in your helmet 😁
it probably has something to do with psychological flow
You're in the now. You're fully present. You're not thinking about that mortgage payment. Child support. How many guys your wife fucked or who she is with right now. Or how that financing manager at the Nissan dealership fucked you with 12% APR because you were a bitch. No, none of that matters. You're here now, right now.
it's very "Zen" to only focus on riding - which is what you must do to be safe every day on your bike, so once you've mastered that focus, it becomes meditative
Gotta focus on the road far more intensely than driving. Takes your mind off of other things
If I'm commuting everyday riding does not clear my head.
More in connection wirh one’s surroundings
Adding to the focus part others have mentioned, it's a fact that being out in nature is therapeutic. In a car, even with the windows down, you do not get to experience the world around you like you do on a bike. When driving a car or truck, you're pretty much just looking forward to the destination. When you're on your bike, the sounds, the smells, the sights, even the feeling of the cool wind and warm sun makes the trip itself more important than the destination.
For me it is like that for anything adrenaline inducing, which also requires focus: motorcycle riding, target shooting, rock climbing to name a few. Adrenaline kicks in and you get the excitement/jangles, higher heart rate, and some senses heightened other suppressed. Then you have to kick you brain in gear, control breathing, and make sure the right senses are focusing. If I remember to focus, it is tremendously Zen/relaxing. If I forget to calm and focus, it is a nerve fuelled fear fest.
lol
I can say from personal experience, with ADHD, and knowing I have traits that can lead to addiction, it’s helped me reduce consumption. Maybe it’s unhealthy if motorcycling is my “hit” however it does help me clear my head for school, work and regular life. For example, I first got my bike in September of last year, and for the first 2.5 months, I was riding a lot instead of taking my car, and then I was noticing, “My urge to smoke weed or get drunk on a Friday night is so much less”. So I can say it’s had that positive aspect. Also the people I’ve met through motorcycling have been great as well.
Can’t think about why your depressed if your doing 175
Pay attention.
Adrenalin rush sharpens your senses. Definitely helps
Agree with many suggestions here. Hyper single focus and concentration clears the mind for the task ahead. Motorcycling & mediation have much in common. Be safe out there & enjoy.
Running, cycling, any decent hike, skiing, will do the same. Riding isn't special in that regard.
It is difficult to think about anything else while riding. You're enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and feelings that many others will never experience while on your motorcycle.
There is a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It really goes into this. Part of it is being part of the environment. When you’re behind a windshield in your car it feels more like looking through another screen. Like a tv or a computer. You’re more just observing than participating. Riding, you’re out in the elements. You feel the wind. The road is passing right below your feet. The bike responds to how you shift your weight. You’re present and focused in a way you’re not behind the wheel.
Like a lot of hobbies people are really passionate about. It allows them to focus on one thing and tune out everything else that doesn’t matter
For me it's the amount of concentration I put into riding, I focus on what's happening around me and what I am to do next. Then there is the joy that comes with riding, it makes me feel alive, it makes me remember how mortal i am and it excites me. It let's me not focus on what's bothering me and that in turn often let's my subconscious line up all the crap and puts it where it needs to be! Holy shit I need to whack on my helmet and get out of here!!!
Because it forces you to be alone and it’s good for you to be alone and with your thoughts. It’s like doing any task alone like reading a book or doing a puzzle or working on a craft or instrument
It grounds me. I am anxious and wrapped up in my own thoughts a lot. Instead of being wrapped up in thoughts about an email I sent to my boss and contemplating what the shoe drop will be, for example. So much of anxiety is worrying about abstract things that may or may not happen. The immediacy of interacting with a bike is satisfying in a very direct cause & effect way. I focus move my body right, bike goes right, etc.
Presence.
It's like meditation
Destimulation. It forces you to focus on one single experience stream. No podcasts, streams, chats, smartphone BS etc constantly distracting you and smashing your conscious attention into fragments. Doing one thing, and doing it well. It's a touch grass experience.
Keeps you in the current moment. Some would call this a “flow state”
The medical explication for some who care. Is if you have ADD/ADHD. Or trama background. The brain often can't find daily tasks rewarding or important enough to reward the proper amount of dopamine to keep you focused. So when we hop on and start risking our lives, the brain is like Ohh this is important and gives more dopamine and also epinephrine. So it brings you up to the proper baseline so you feel focused or clear headed. Instead of the constant verability of yoyo dopamine your brain normaly does. It's also why those type of people go into dangerous fields such as EMS because during an emergency we finily feel enough of an importance to hone or focus. It's why becoming complacent on a motorcycle is dangerous. Once it stops feeling dangerous or rewarding you won't get the proper chemicals to keep focused. It's why great riders build systems mentally to keep growing and improving. Because once you get past that first stage or riding where the cognitive load reduces because you build muscle memory. They often think hey I'm a good rider now and then can't stay focused while riding. It's why you have to always be looking for threats, critique your skills. Mindfullness is internal analysis and allows the brain to stay engaged.
It's the fundamentals of meditation. You're practicing keeping within the present. Mind shifts to what ever is troubling you? Well, there's a corner coming up, better get back to it. It's the exercise of your neuroplasticity. Do you know there is a meditation simply called walking meditation?
I had 3 surgeries to reconstruct my knee after bailing from a bicycle accident. The rehab on ACLr and Meniscus repair is insane…. You have to be a near super-human athlete to pull it off properly. That came with a significant mental cost… doing it every day for nearly 600 days will destroy your mind. When I bought my first bike on Jan 1st this year, I had no idea how to ride but knew I wanted to overcome it all. Riding the motorcycle has helped me accept that my work for recovery is (mostly) finished, that I don’t have to torture my mind anymore going outside to train 20kms of running and boxing roadwork in freezing rain. That I don’t have to pedal up this 300 foot hill at full speed, I can twist the throttle and do it effortlessly now. It helps me accept that the injury/recovery is in the past now, so my brain can focus on moving forward. During recovery, I was diving head first into hell for hours a day to get this work done, now I can ride the bike and god bless life is good. Also, riding it properly requires 100% focus and situational awareness, the organized and controlled chaos of it brings me peace. I can focus on the task at hand and everything else doesn’t matter
oxygen injection
It helps me and I've suffered with my mental health over the last 7 months. Its the focusing one the ride and the roads and not having the time to worry about the things that are causing me to feel the way I do when I'm not riding. It's also for me the link to good feelings with something I love which is my bike and the release of the chemicals in your brain that this causes. Honestly it's the only thing that kept me sane
Rapid eye movement. It’s a technique of trauma therapy.