I started practicing mindfulness and meditation six years ago. At the time, I was racing triathlons and was training for my first Ironman. The stress of work, starting a new job, the uncertainty and fear of the unknown about completing something like an Ironman, the mental fortitude it takes to train and race, along with the extremely high volume of training (I was training 45+ hours a week, 7 days a week) in addition to my daytime job and whatever social and familial commitments I could squeeze in, were taxing on me mentally and spiritually. I knew about meditation and felt like it could be beneficial, but I was so busy and active, I didn't have time to fit in a regular practice. The I read Rich Roll's book 'Finding Ultra', and one of the things he described was using his long runs and rides as active meditation. I started doing that and it was truly transformative. My long runs (12-18 miles) and long rides (40-60 miles) became wonderful meditations. It has such an effect on me that I made meditation a daily part of my training. Ever since, I've been especially interested in forms of meditation that are beyond the cushion and finding ways to maintain my presence and awareness in all aspects of my life.