by Clay Schmitz | Mar 3, 2017 | podcast
I remember going on a easy hike with my former in-laws and being embarrassed that I had trouble finishing. My knees, hips, and back were aching, I was wearing thick rigid hiking boots with a lot of arch support and raised heels. That was about a decade ago and in a way the final straw of buying footwear with ever increasing cushioning, support, rigidity, and even orthotic inserts. Going barefoot eliminated my pain, restored health and strength to my feet, and opened me up to a new way of seeing the world.
In this episode…
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by Clay Schmitz | Feb 24, 2017 | podcast
Divorce kicked my ass, a brutal wipeout. Then with the help of a very wise adviser I learned how to get back up, take care of myself, and see my divorce as one of the best things to ever happen for me.
In this episode I share these tools and how I use them…
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by Clay Schmitz | Feb 6, 2017 | Uncategorized
Stoked to present the recut version of A Surf Tale! I trimmed and cut the scenes that didn’t work, and remastered the video for HD. The three versions have been moved to the members section and can be found here:
http://clayisland.com/surf-tale-recut-3-versions/
I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed reliving this adventure…
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by Clay Schmitz | Jan 9, 2017 | adventures, surf videos, videos
Fall seemed elusive this year as October and November were full of big and stormy surf. December settled down and we scored three swells of beautifully groomed offshore surf. Fun to massive size waves and light to howling winds has me pondering the right tools to take on these conditions.
Below is the full video with music and voice over.
Length – 08:10
I hope you enjoy…
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by Clay Schmitz | Jan 7, 2017 | adventures, how to videos, surf videos, videos
I spent decades trying to create a safe place. Safety in numbers, safer neighborhood, alarm systems, weapons, and self defense classes. After trying all these methods I still felt unsafe.
Listening to a guided meditation the speaker asked me to imagine a safe place. I thought of all the places I have been to and it dawned on me that I didn’t feel safe anywhere. Now that I was aware of the problem I was actively seeking a new solution. It snuck up on me through a mandatory meditation walk, required training for a martial arts class.
On that meditation walk I felt scared I would get poison oak, and I realized how unnatural it is for a human being to be afraid of nature. As part of a group I saw and heard a broad range of comfort with being in a forest. This showed me where I was at and what feeling really comfortable and safe looked like.
I heard being in nature spoken of as a satisfying sexual experience.
What?!? Really??? At the time I didn’t feel this way, I was however very inspired to continue the practice and see where it led me…
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