#37 SOLAS & ATTUNEMENT WITH MICHAEL BENTLEY 

“You don’t have to be goal driven, but to have a sense of how to navigate through the world everyday and adjust to what it throws at you.” ​
Michael Bentley is a treasured member of our Find Your Feet community who recently joined me on a Find Your Feet Tour to one of my favourite places in the world - Japan. Although I have known Michael for a few years now, it was during our shared time exploring the wild trails and rich culture of Japan that brought us a lot closer. I cannot begin to talk about the level of compassion, humility and love Michael has for himself and his balanced approach to running. Michael’s professional background in public health, marathon running, and journey through grief with the passing of his partner Christine, has equipped him with an inspiring level of consciousness and joy to the present moment. 
Haiku written by Michael: 
 
Trees talking on the
tall hill at the urban fringe.
Are we listening?
​
Michael’s identification as a Natural Guardian of Tasmanian land is similarly inspiring. After the passing of his partner Christine, he set up a Foundation Fund with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC) in her memory to support the art and science of the conservancy. His vision being ‘to help to protect the significance of Tasmania’s unique natural areas’
 
I would like to extend my biggest thank you to Michael for sharing his time and knowledge with me in this conversation. I know the themes we talked about will resonate with you and hopefully inspire more attunement and solas into your own life. If you would like to contribute to The Tasmanian Land Conservancy through The Solas Fund, you can find more details Here. 
 
We spoke about the goal setting in the sense that people look to achieve outcomes, the want to look out to the horizon and see a clear and tangible way of defining their success. But maybe it doesn’t have to be like that…
“Maybe the horizon is actually saying I want to be able to live in a way that I am more compassionate and self-compassionate and more aware. Think about the sort of impact I am having on the environment I am living in…” ​
Then life satisfaction and fulfilment is derived from the journey of living as the person with that mindset. ​
What we covered in our conversation:
  • The transformational power of running for exploration 
  • Japanese philosophies on conscious living and appreciating the beautiful simplicities of life
  • The determinants of health and wellbeing - Eastern vs. western
  • Michael’s personal journey with running 
  • Sports nutrition, hydration and psychology for older athlete 
  • Michael’s intuitive approach to training, goal setting and self-compassion – attunement 
  • The Solas Fund with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (https://tasland.org.au/the-tlc-foundation/existing-foundation-funds/solas-fund/) 
Links mentioned in the conversation: 
Podcast with Lee Belbin - Ecological Approach to Performance 
 
Hanny Allston’s Training Planners
 
Express interest for a Wild Japan 2020 Tour Here 

HANNY ALLSTON


Website – www.hannyallston.com.au
Blog - www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/
 
Hanny Allston Training Resources
Guidebook – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/trail-running-guidebook.html
UTA Training Packages - http://www.hannyallston.com.au/ultra-trail-australia.html

FIND YOUR FEET

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