My hobbies are used to recharge my energy, relieve stress, and ground me in the present moment - all so that I can effectively provide value to those around me. Splitting them into the three general categories of physical, mental, and spiritual, my list is ever-growing and changing like the tides. However, my favorite hobbies are those that combine all three, bringing my mind-body-spirit connection in harmony as one.
Starting with the least strenuous physical hobby, I love the time spent simply walking outdoors. Regardless of whether I am basking in the sun on a mid-summer day or deep within a forest on a crisp winter morning, walking in nature is my time spent away from the technological environment and the hustle and bustle of daily life. Depending on my location, I will often go on hikes or long walks along the beach. To recuperate after a work week, I find relaxation in spending a few hours on nearby trails cycling with my father. We bond over the liberating feeling of soaring down a hill with the wind blowing strong. My long-lasting and primary physical hobby has been weight-lifting. Beginning with the basic compound exercises as a teenager, I have expanded into powerlifting, calisthenics, and now yoga. Each of these forms of fitness scratch different itches. Strength training empowers me by finding rewards in personal records as well as the failed repetitions. Calisthenics converts this strength training into control over my whole body, and yoga helps with deep relaxation and stretching. These forms of exercise have been uniquely expansive and enjoyable, but incomparable to the reward that comes from helping others discover their passion for exercise. A perk of personal training that has been uniquely rewarding is simply connecting with an incredibly diverse array of individuals. Each person comes into our training sessions from a different baseline, striving towards different goals. Boiling down my hobby of personal training into its most basic parts, I enjoy speaking with others, understanding their goals, and helping facilitate their success in achieving them. With this in mind, I can understand more clearly why I wish to pursue a career in medicine.
My mental hobbies typically involve learning a wide range of topics for no reason than the act of learning itself. With topics ranging from business, physics, and computer science to philosophy, history, and neuroscience, I choose to listen, read, and watch just about anything that seems enjoyable. Depending on the day, I will add a comedic podcast to the rotation. When my mind needs a break, I choose to regain mental clarity with time spent in nature, away from technology.
For my spiritual hobbies, I have been experimenting with various forms of meditation. Recent examples include chakra meditation, the establishment of mindfulness (satipatthana), and insight meditation (vipassana). In that order, I relax my body and mind for a smooth transition into sleep. Also, my blog feeds any extra appetite for my spiritual growth as I can contemplate metaphysical ideas and share my thoughts. Lastly, if possible, I will try to spend time with animals. My hobbies are ever-changing, but one constant has been my love to relax and spend time with friends, family, and my significant other.
