A few weeks ago I wrote a hub about Parkour and Free Running. If you've not heard of them, have a look. Afterwards I realised Parkour has a resonance even for those of us who don't run and jump around the city.

You see Parkour is all about overcoming obstacles; Setting a course from A to B, then getting there; Running through the environment, and keeping up forward momentum despite things being in the way.

Well life is the ultimate obstacle course and we all spend our time overcoming obstacles, whether they be physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and financial. We all do our best to get from A to B.

So how do people traverse the obstacle course of life? What generates the self belief, determination and resilience needed to set a course, then get there? The list is near endless, but here are three categories that form the basis of so many of the things we draw onwhen overcoming obstacles when they arise.

This is the connection with a reality beyond the physical world. Whether it be religious or some kind of personally tailored belief.

People draw on spirituality (especially religious belief) which has been shown to have a positive effect on health and well-being.

Benefits are a greater sense of meaning, increased sense of worth, greater resilience and faster recovery from illness etc.

Religious belief is the most obvious form of spirituality, but not the only one. Spirituality comes in many shapes and sizes, but share common themes of interconnectedness and the aim of achieving inner peace.

While religion is about organised community-based worship and traditions, spirituality in general is simply about a link between the personal and the universal.

The Downside of Spirituality

Spirituality doesn't work for everyone. For some the required suspension of disbelief is too much of a barrier. If you don’t believe, you just don’t believe, regardless of the benefits.

Also some forms of spirituality (particularly some religions) can be exclusive rather than inclusive and have been used as justification for violence against 'others'.

There's no test for spirituality, but if you think about the following, your thoughts on each will give an idea of whether you are inclined towards spiritual beliefs or not.

• What is life about?
• If you have suffered any major loss or bereavement, what ways of coping did you try? What was helpful?
• What gives you meaning in your life?
• Do you feel a sense of belonging?
• Do you feel a connection with people and the world beyond day to day interactions?
• What are your thoughts on death and dying?
• What gives you hope?
• Have you ever needed to feel forgiveness?

• What do you fear about the future?

Secular meditation is about stopping, observing and listening to thoughts without engaging with them. It’s about the suspension of logical thought; A detaching of awareness, to allow movement away from everyday concerns related to satisfying our ‘self’, thus freeing us from the worry of obtaining such satisfaction.

Relaxation is the name of the game and the biggest benefit of meditation in overcoming obstacles is stress reduction. There is also evidence that meditation offers health benefits, such as: improved mood, greater resilience, pain relief, faster recovery from illness. The relaxed state meditation induces helps the body and the psyche repair itself.

Many forms of spirituality (including Christianity) use meditation as part of their spiritual methods, but you don’t have to buy-in to spiritual forms of meditation to benefit from it. Secular meditation is not so much about belief, as about entering a state of deeper awareness.

The downside of Meditation

A few people experience anxiety when trying to practice meditation. Researchers suggest this is related to fear of inactivity, fear of losing control, fear of letting go etc.

There are many different types of meditation, some spiritual, some secular. Deciding which to try can be difficult.

It can also be difficult to master the type of meditation you've chosen and time consuming to learn.

This is a network of family, friends, neighbours, co-workers etc. that provide us with constructive feedback.

Benefits that are of help in overcoming obstacles include a sense of self worth, sense of belonging, material and emotional aid etc. Social support has been identified as beneficial to recovery from both physical and mental illness.

Friendship is the main form of social support outside the family. Traditional social groups include circles of friends, community groups, clubs etc.

The form of social interaction has changed in the last few decades with the advent of the online or virtual community. A virtual community is one in which the members of the community don't communicate face to face, but through various media including telephone, email, newsletter, online forum etc.

The phenomenon of online communities, specifically social networking services provides a different form of social engagement. Online communities (and the social networks they create) are widespread, and offer further opportunities for social interaction.

Members of online communities report similar benefits to belonging to traditional communities such as a sense of belonging, a sense of self worth, emotional support etc. This is particularly true for those who are geographically dispersed and those for whom physical interaction is difficult, such as the disabled. The support of online friends can be as helpful in overcoming obstacles as traditional friendships.

Downsides to Social Support

The downsides are that relationships can take time and effort to form and once formed require time and effort to maintain.

Relationships can be complex, and those complexities can be a cause of stress rather than a reducer, creating new obstacles.

With online communities, the lack of visual cues can also cause communication difficulties leading to misunderstandings.

People who suffer shyness or social anxiety can be restricted in this area because of the barrier to forming relationships. The anonymity of the Internet can help, but not always. Some people feel the same shyness in communicating with people online as they do face to face, especially were the shyness or anxiety stems from issues of low self esteem.

A general look at three categories of things people draw on when overcoming obstacles in life, with spirituality and social support in particular seeming to be fundamentally important sources.

The list could be longer (maybe it will be added to) but these categories were the first that struck me when I was thinking about the philosophy of Parkour and how it relates to life in general.

With Parkour people trace a path through the urban landscape, aiming to overcome obstacles through using their natural resources, strength and agility.

So we have a lot in common with the young men and women who practice Parkour. We all employ the same tactics in life, calling on internal and external resources to help us overcoming obstacles that stop us moving forward. Like Parkour life is about simply getting from A to B and overcoming a series of obstacles along the way.

Complementary Therapies in Neurology (Barry S. Oken, 2003)

Mind-body Medicine: State of the Science, Implications for Practice (Journal of the American Board of Family Practice 2003, JA Astin et al)

Religion and Health: Effects, Mechanisms, and Interpretation (Catherine Craver, 2008)

Social Support & Social Conflict (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur)

Spirituality and Mental Health (Royal College of Psychiatrists )

The Elementary Forms of The Religious Life (Emile Durkheim (Author), Karen E. Fields (Translator))

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia