Attention Climbers

Crystal Ding

Welcome to the space where we learn to climb smarter, harder, and with more joy, by simply attending to our moment-by-moment experience of this beautiful sport we get to share with one another, across a variety of dimensions - humour included. Each short-form episode contains an experience, a story, and a specific practice - that invite you to explore your own climbing life physically, mentally, emotionally, or even spiritually, on and off the wall. 

Episodes

  1. JAN 14

    Weight Shifts with Arch Lifts: 5 Minute Guided Body Scan with Visualisation

    *Up to approx. 2:45 is the WHAT, HOW and WHY. The remaining time contains the meditation.* Coach Belinda (Be) Fuller places tremendous weight upon keeping the foot arch active while shifting weight in rockovers, on and off the wall. Much easier said than done!  Here is the HannahMorrisBouldering YouTube video referencing this crucial cue.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy97CSyfSG0&t=1313s By practicing this while we are NOT climbing using a body scan, we strengthen the basic "attentional coordination" required to activate this firing pattern on the wall - leading to foot-led sequencing, efficient power generation, and a climbing style that dances up the wall - the telltale signs of Coach Be's climbing and teaching.  I recorded this episode as a live meditation that I participated in myself, in a moment where I needed a relaxed but active meditation for immediate stress reduction, AND wanted to ingrain rock-solid climbing instincts. This is where climbing performance and embodied mental health - intersect.  Designed for any climber to listen to and follow along with anytime, anywhere where you feel safe to relax and be in your body.  Rest day? Check.  Injured but want to still "be climbing"? Check.  Pre-climb tune-in? Check.  Mid-session rest-and mental reset? Check.  Post-climb cool down? Check.  Stressy, messy, pressy life moments where you'd rather "be Climbing"? CHECK!    Having a body, a mind, and an attentive state of presence - are all you need.  As always, climb well, be well, and thanks for listening!

    8 min
  2. 04/30/2025

    Guided Footwork Meditation for Climbers

    Attending to the moments we can focus on footwork from the lens of gratitude - from the comfort of the ground, a bed, or a chair. Recorded live and impromptu as I guided myself through this meditation over 5 months prior to the publishing date, on Christmas Eve, 2024.  You may notice that this episode diverges from the prior ones (Season 1, Episodes 1-5) in that:  a) you don't hear an intro and outro,  b) The style of accent I'm using is different.  This is because I recorded this meditation as a one-off for my own needs - a quiet, safe and fully relaxed space to still be with, and express my love for, climbing - on a rest day - 4 months before the idea for a public podcast emerged.  As of today, I record in a Southern US-style accent due to it being much more comfortable for my voice and therefore much more in line with the speech therapy I'm currently undergoing as part of my neurological rehab. 5 months ago I had no idea that was the case - my East-coast American identity was so strong that it wouldn't have crossed my mind to dare speaking English with "different beta" that could temporarily work better for my health, and be super fun to try. Either way, you'll hear the original "east coast mouth beta" here.  At first I hated the sound of my voice and what I was saying, and cringed at the thought of playing this for myself, or ever letting it see the light of day.  All changed a month later, in January 2025, during a long cat-sitting stint with Sesame, our friend Joyce's speechlessly adorable British short-hair. To calm Sesame down from some unfriendly encounters with our Roborock vacuum cleaner, I decided to see what would happen if I played this meditation for her.  Her relaxation response - curling up in her favorite dining room chair beside me and falling into a deep zen - every single time I played my own voice, shifted my own perspective toward myself, what I had to say, and how I was saying it. Thanks in large part to Sesame's encouragement, this raw recording can now be seen and heard - in the light of day.

    23 min

About

Welcome to the space where we learn to climb smarter, harder, and with more joy, by simply attending to our moment-by-moment experience of this beautiful sport we get to share with one another, across a variety of dimensions - humour included. Each short-form episode contains an experience, a story, and a specific practice - that invite you to explore your own climbing life physically, mentally, emotionally, or even spiritually, on and off the wall.