As I looked to my left, I saw a trail of monks in identical robes heading to the west side of the crater, a higher vantage point next to the weather station. I followed them and found a place among the throng of fellow climbers. I grabbed my camera from my bag, took some test shots to find the right exposure setting, and turned east just in time to see the sun rise above the horizon.<\/p>\n
It was the day before I turned 37. I had completed one of my life goals: to see the sun rise from the top of Mount Fuji on\u2014or at least close to\u2014my birthday.<\/strong> When I was in elementary school, it frustrated me that I had a summer birthday and would never be taking treats to school. However, my birthday falls squarely in the short season for hiking up Mount Fuji\u2014or \u201cFuji-san,\u201d as the Japanese call it.<\/p>\n For the ascent, I brought a\u00a0walking stick, proper boots, and layers of clothing, but I also carried with me five things that I learned through yoga. Each helped me reach Mount Fuji’s summit\u00a0and check a major\u00a0item off my life list.<\/p>\n 1.<\/strong>\u00a0Breathe<\/b>.<\/strong> Breath is life, breath is pace, breath is centering. Getting in a rhythm helps you focus.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0<\/strong>Do your own thing<\/b>.<\/strong> You can try to keep up with other people or pass as many as you can whenever you can, but you\u2019re still basing your journey on what others are doing. I didn\u2019t need to worry about getting anyone else but myself to the top of the mountain, but a lot of people were counting on me making it back.<\/p>\n 3.<\/strong>\u00a0Live in the moment<\/b>.<\/strong> Stay aware of your surroundings. If I kept my eyes on the top the whole time, I would undoubtedly have missed some of the hazards along the way, most of which involved loose rock, jagged volcanic rock, and rough, unworn, or narrow steps along a steep trail packed with switchbacks. That spelled great potential for injury if I didn\u2019t take things one step at a time.<\/p>\n 4.<\/strong>\u00a0Eat and drink<\/b>.<\/strong> You dehydrate more easily at higher altitudes and exertion makes the water loss more profound. And if you don\u2019t start out having eaten a good meal and keep snacking along the way, your body won\u2019t have the fuel it needs for the journey, no matter what your journey is.<\/p>\n 5.<\/strong>\u00a0Once you reach your destination, don\u2019t be afraid to appreciate where you\u2019ve been<\/b>.<\/strong> The view behind you can be as beautiful as the one ahead. As I made my way up the path, I turned back at resting points and saw a growing line of headlamps as others emerged from their station lodgings and began the trek up the mountain.<\/p>\n Experience may be the lightest thing you will ever pack, no matter what the adventure.<\/p>\n Photo taken by the author\u00a0from the west side of the crater on Mount Fuji, looking across to the east.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Contributing writer Gregory Parks is a clown, improvisational actor, coach, and teacher living\u00a0and thriving in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis\/St. Paul, Minnesota.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Along with my hiking gear, I carried with me several yoga truths on the journey up Japan’s highest mountain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":693,"featured_media":19899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[312,51],"class_list":["post-19744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","tag-travel-2","tag-yoga-practice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n