Entering into a meditative zone
Running doesn’t require many technics. If you understand how your cardiovascular system works, and how your muscles and connective tissues work and recover, you can run.
Running is the repetition of the same movement. So, many practitioners claim that they enter into a meditative zone while running.
I also meditate naturally when I run. Let me share my running meditation.
Gravity and the Ground – Don’t avoid them. Instead, master them
When I started running, my first awakening was about gravity and the ground. If there is no gravity or the ground, I can’t run. Before I ran, I thought that gravity was hindering my movement. Gravity makes me feel heavy, trapped, or lazy sometimes.
Yet, after I started running, I realized that gravity is a part of my environment and I can’t avoid it. The only way to be free from it is to master it. Mastering gravity. That’s what I do when I run. I practice mastering gravity.
This awakening is applied to my life. When I run, I reflect on myself and see if I feel trapped in my life. If I have any obstacles that I can’t avoid, I try to accept it and master it. Only then I can be free to move on to the next stage.
Return to a Zero Point
My second meditation is about what happens in my life and how I react to it. American paster, Charles Swindoll said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” I love this quote. Life is all about my attitude and reactions, not about what’s happening to me. Based on my interpretation, attitude, and reaction, the consequences change, and the direction of my life changes.
When I run, I observe my life objectively. And I can see what are the facts, and what’s my interpretation. I erase anything that I added or worsened and only focus on what’s really happening. Then, I feel calmer and balanced. I can decide how I react to it in order to improve the situation, not to worsen it. This is my main meditation when I run. I watch my life. I gain clarity and return to a zero point.
Praying
And, the last but not least thing that I do while running is praying. When I feel desperate or overwhelmed, everything becomes a prayer. Running is a part of it. I pray like this: “Please guide me …”, “Please show me …”, “If I’ve done something wrong, please teach me …”.
I don’t receive the answer right away, yet in a couple of days or later, I get some insights or find the information useful for solving the problem. Running is my sincere prayer.
These are my meditation. I hope it helps you either run or meditate.
