Running long distance with awareness of breath and right posture can become a natural meditation practice.
Long distance running is one of the open secrets of personal happiness and successful.
However, in modern society running is becoming extinct from day-to-day lives. Rarely, we experience the chaotic breathing, which we would if we were to run regularly. Populations living in the cities do not have the time, space, or the clean air necessary for healthful running.
By not running, we are killing our own natural potential. By not running we are ignoring a powerful tool given to us by nature for our physical and psychological empowerment.
Health Precaution Before Running Meditation
Attempt this method of running meditation only if you are physically fit.
Do not attempt this method of running on your own if you have underlying clinical conditions including but not limited to obesity, osteoporosis, heart, kidney, hernia, asthma, convulsions, diabetes.
Give up this exercise at slightest indications of pain or other warning symptoms (not exhaustion) in any part of body but not limited to head, chest, stomach, hips or abdomen.
If you have underlying clinical conditions, but you want to run long or short distances, seek expert medical advice.
Preparation for Running Meditation
Chose an ideal day on which you are at leisure and feel fresh.
Prepare yourself for running after emptying the bowels and with empty stomach (run after 3 – 4 hours after eating). Take care to keep yourself hydrated by drinking little water. Drinking too much of water can make your stomach heavy.
Wear lose, light-weight clothes. Wear light-weight shoes, which fit well and has good shock absorbing soles.
Chose a familiar track without pitfalls ideally in a natural setting free from pollution and traffic. While running take care not to step onto any obstacle or pit.
Do not listen to music, speak or engage in self-talk, imaginations, recitation or thinking while running. Just try to stay seamlessly focused on breath at the entrance of nostrils.
Right Posture For Running Meditation
Start running naturally, neither too fast nor too slow, so that you can run long distance without getting out of breath.
Keep your upper body naturally relaxed and lower back straight. When lower back is straight, spine is neutral. A neutral spine is neither stooping forward nor reclining backward.
With straight lower back and neutral spine, breathing can engage entire lung capacity and circulation has minimum resistance.
Running with straight lower back can also eventually align legs, hips, diaphragm and ribcage optimally to give you a naturally optimum posture.
Naturally optimum posture improves circulation of vital force and nerve impulses in body.
Right Awareness of Breath For Running Meditation
While running, focus your entire attention on incoming and outgoing breath at the entrance of nostrils so that you do not get opportunity to think. Remain aware of breath at entrance of nostrils but not the nostrils.
At a point where you feel exhausted, reduce the speed but continue to focus your attention on the breathing. Do not stop breathing. Run to breathe and breathe to run.
You will realize that if you breathe more you can run more and if you run more, you can breathe more while staying aware of breath at the entrance of nostrils. You will also realize that breathing becomes kind of fuel-supply for running. You may experience first, second or third winds while running with such on-pointed focused awareness.
If you feel too tired to breathe through nose, breathe through mouth for some time while keeping the attention focused on breath inside the mouth. When comfortable, again breathe through nose and focus your attention on breath at the entrance of nostrils.
Breathe slowly or fast while you jog with constant focus of attention on breath at the entrance of nostrils. Constant focus of attention on breath will keep the mind calm and awareness constant.
After you feel completely exhausted, end the jogging after a spurt of fast running with all your strength while you remain or aware of breath at the entrance of nostrils.
In order to end running, do not stop immediately (only if you do not have warning symptoms). Keep walking till your breathing becomes normal.
You can supplement running with strength building exercises like squats, push-ups, crunches and executive pull-ups while keeping lower back neutral. This can help you to increase your running stamina and create more space for circulation of vital force in your body.
Increase distance and duration of running slowly every day or after couple of days. Leaving a gap of couple of days allows body to readjust with the new physiological changes while healing any wear and tear.
Benefits of Running Meditation
Running with awareness of breath and right posture can improve your running stamina.
Deep chaotic breathing bring about intense oxygenation and circulation of blood. This can improve your immune system and metabolism. This can boost your resistance to diseases and illnesses.
If your heart is not weak, it will be strengthened by intense breathing with awareness.
Brain can release endorphin that gives feeling of wellness and happiness.
The induced movement of diaphragm and intercostal muscles can massage visceral organs and profuse them with oxygenated blood.
Such breathing may filly you with energy and relieve you from depression and lethargy.
The body heat and optimized circulation of vital force can make body supple if not flexible.
Generates as sense of lightness and agility.
And many more!!!