Aug 29, 2007
For some people the hula hoop is a kid’s toy, while others have found it to be a great exercise tool to strengthen the abs, back and legs. I see the hula hoop as both of these things, and something more. For me the hula hoop has become a device I can use to challenge the gravitational pull of the Earth!
My concept of the hula hoop expanded into the planetary realm a few months ago when I became obsessed with breaking the Guinness record for hula hooping with the world’s largest hula hoop. The rules stipulate that you have to keep the hoop rotating around your midsection for at least three revolutions. The most recent record-breaking hoop measured a whopping 13 feet 4 inches in diameter! I was desperate to get my hands on a giant hula hoop, so I called my mechanically-gifted friend Udar, hoping he would share my enthusiasm about the project. Fortunately he did, and by the next afternoon the two of us were in my backyard assembling an expandable 11-foot hula hoop made out of steel electrical conduit.
When the hoop was complete, I had only two thoughts: 1) that thing is HUGE! and 2) how the heck am I going to spin that massive ring around my body? After numerous failures, I figured it out. First, I had to spin round and round with the hoop to build up momentum and then release my grip, letting my legs and hips bolster the hoop’s energy to prevent it from falling to the ground. Finally, I got the hang of it, and Udar and I were ready to move on to bigger and better things.
Jul 25, 2007
I was watching the men’s British Open Golf Championship on TV this past Sunday and the commentators brought up a fascinating point. They said that in order to play golf well, a player must be in control of his emotions. They pointed out that many golfers are brilliant on Thursday, Friday and Saturday but, on Sunday, when all the adrenaline is pumping and they have a possibility to win the tournament, their games fall apart. They even have to take the effect of their adrenaline into account when they choose which golf club to use for a particular shot. My immediate reaction was that those golfers should learn to meditate!
Meditation really works. Meditation fills you with inner peace and I use it not only in my day-to-day life, but also to break Guinness world records. A perfect example is the record for doing the most deep knee bends on a Swiss Ball in a minute. When I can stay within myself, I’m able to balance on the ball and crank out the squats. However, as soon as I get a bit excited, I go flying backwards off the ball onto my back. So meditation keeps me centered, literally!
Jun 29, 2007
A few days ago, I visited New Orleans and attended a program dedicated to the courageous spirit of the people of the city. The function was the brainchild of Ashish Verma, the General Manager of the renowned Windsor Court Hotel. As part of the program, Mr. Verma invited my spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy, to say some encouraging words and give a short concert.
Also, a couple of New Orleaneans were honored for their outstanding efforts to help rebuild the city. I was so inspired that I decided to attempt a Guinness record the next morning at a local track even though I wasn’t completely trained.
The record was for an event which involved running the fastest mile while balancing an object. I invited the media, had all the proper witnesses and timers, and also had a person taking video. This was one of those records which requires a complete videotape of the record to be submitted. In front of a crowd of startled teenagers training at the track, I survived the 90-degree heat and broke the record by more than 20 seconds. However, the battery of the video camera died halfway through the mile and only the first part of the attempt was recorded. The record didn’t count because of technical difficulties!
Which brings me to a story that Mr. Verma told me afterwards about technical difficulties that occurred to a guest in a hotel that he used to manage in New York City. The guest was from a foreign country and must have been impressed by all of the latest innovations which we take for granted in the U.S. For example, the bathrooms at the airports all boast motion-activated water systems and when you call the airlines nowadays on the phone, you can converse with a computer.
Jun 20, 2007
I had everything I needed for my record attempt in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia except for one small item – a 4-foot by 5-foot plank of wood! I had the regulation stilts, I had a jump rope and I had the official witnesses in the car with me. We were on our way to the Ulaan Bataar airport to catch a flight to Dalanzagad, not much more than an airstrip deep in the Gobi. I was going to attempt the record for jumping rope the most times in a minute on stilts. I needed the wood to bounce on because the stilts would sink deeper and deeper into the sand without it, preventing me from cranking out the 102 jumps required to break the current record. I was trying not to dwell on the fact that if I didn’t have the wood with me already, how was I going to find a plank of wood in the middle of one of largest and least populated deserts on the planet?!
I’m not as disorganized as you might think. When we left for the airport, I actually had the perfect piece of wood in the backseat of the taxi, but I lost it! The wood was part of a construction project that my friend was working on. He gave me permission to take the plywood with me as long as I promised to bring it back. However, minutes after we left the hotel, my friend called my cell phone in a panic! He had to finish the project in a few hours and he needed his plank back immediately. With a sinking feeling, I told the taxi driver to turn around so I could return the precious cargo.
Jowan, the official photographer, was traveling with me and when I re-entered the taxi after surrendering the wood, he noticed my distress. Although young, he is wise beyond his years and he said, “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll find a piece of wood in the desert, I’m sure of it.” I didn’t see how he could be so sure.
Jun 7, 2007
As you might have guessed by now, I am an avid animal lover. So, a few days before I was scheduled to go to Mongolia, I began thinking about what kind of exotic animal I could possibly meet in Genghis Khan’s homeland. Mongolia is famous for its horses, but I’ve met hundreds of horses (in fact, I’ve been thrown off the back of a few!) and I was looking for something more unusual. And then I remembered reading that Mongolia has the second largest population of yaks in the world, next to Tibet. Now you can’t get more exotic than a yak! I don’t think I had ever even seen a yak in a zoo. So, with yaks on my mind, I boarded the plane to Ulaan Bataar and, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, the idea came to me. I had been practicing for the sack racing mile record – why not race a mile in a sack against a yak? The plan seemed ludicrous so I knew it must be good!
Full of excitement, I mentioned the yak sack race to some friends who were traveling with me on the plane and I got a lot of feedback. One well-meaning friend responded, “That’s crazy, how are you going to find a sack big enough for a yak?” I had to patiently explain that I would be in the sack, not the yak! Another buddy said, “Bad idea, you’ll never get a yak to cooperate. Yaks are dangerous. I’ve heard that on mountain passes you should never pass a yak on the outside because they will bump into you and try to deliberately push you off the mountain! In a sack you’ll be a sitting duck.”
Mar 16, 2007
The other day, I was on my bicycle rushing to some appointment when I was interrupted by a New York City policeman. Instead of waiting for a traffic light to change, I had jumped onto the sidewalk and when I turned the corner, I drove smack into the officer. Of course, I quickly steered back into the street, but it was too late. The officer ordered me to stop and asked for my license. I dreaded getting a summons and, for a split second, I thought of just cycling away. After all, he was on foot and could never catch me. There were only 2 problems with that. First, it was morally wrong, and secondly, he had a gun! The policeman was compassionate and let me off with just a warning, but it made me think about my experiences involving guns.
