Well, it’s been quite some time since we’ve last spent some time discussing the myriad aspects of wingsuit flying. We’re back at it, time for a little WingsuitLearn….

In the past year, I have worked full time as an instructor at Indoor Wingsuit in Stockholm, AKA the wingsuit tunnel, AKA the Lab. When we invest a couple hundred hours flying the wingsuit and many more hours observing others’ flying, we learn a thing or two. When we spend just a few hours in the tunnel, we speed up the learning process. I’ve become a strong tunnel advocate because I see firsthand how the flying in the tunnel translates to good flying in the sky, and off a mountain.

And really, there’s no place like the tunnel. The whole experience, the people, the occasional BBQ, all the coaches, all the staff, all the flyers, and even the hotel nearby, they are all part of coming to fly in the tunnel. I forgot to mention the most fun part, the flying. Turn the fan on, let it rip, fly all day, train, train, train, play. So much fun! I highly recommend the trip.

Enough about that, let’s talk about some flying. I started a wingsuit mindfulness and awareness practice, and I’d like to share it with you. I began the practice in the tunnel, and I have also done this in the sky. In the tunnel, I would fly perfectly still and maintain the position. I begin with deep breaths, paying attention to the inhale and the exhale. Pay attention to the way your chest expands when you inhale. Feel how the suit feels across your chest. Can you feel a chest strap as your chest expands? How does the wind feel on your chest during the inhale? Now, pause the breath briefly at the end of the inhale. Exhale slowly, paying attention to how your chest changes with the exhale. How does the suit change with the exhale? How does the feel of the wind change during the exhale? Pause the breath at the end of the exhale, and repeat the breathing.

This breathing exercise slows everything down and allows us to begin feeling the suit, the pressure in the suit, the wind, our connection with the wind, and we can also hear changes in windspeed when we are paying attention. During the breathing, we can intentionally shift the focus to different areas of the body and the suit. How does it feel when we move our left hand, right hand, left knee, right shoulder, right elbow, etc.?

Just had an idea. If two people ask me to do this, I will. Record a wingsuit guided meditation to listen to during flight LOL. I might just do it for myself, but I already do this on my without the audio. Anyways, the point here is to really take the moment and be extra in the moment.

I would close my eyes for 1 second. Then I would try to go longer. But in the tunnel, I would only do this if I were touching the wall. This is for safety in the tunnel. In the sky, we can do this without worry of hitting things. Do this on a solo jump, and there really shouldn’t be anything you could hit. Check your heading first, that’s always a good idea. Check the airspace around you by giving a quick look. Then, close your eyes…. Ohh shit… it’s scary… When you open your eyes, check heading, airspace, and altitude. Do it again, for a little bit longer this time. Can you feel heading changes? Keep practicing, we gain more awareness over time.

We’ll wrap this up here, for now… I tell folks, “you gotta fall in love, catch feelings for the wind.”

Stay mindful my bird friends!

Blue Skies,

-WSL