Running
This instruction is by Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, author of Still Running: The Art of Meditation in Motion.
“Just as breath is the core of seated meditation, it’s also the basis of a strong moving meditation. When you go out for your next run, try the following guidelines and use your breath as the fulcrum for still running.
1. Begin by running at a pace that you can maintain with full attention for the duration of your run. In the beginning, you may need to run slower than you’re used to so you can sustain a rhythm that will allow you to stay relaxed and focused.
2. Place your attention on your hara—a spot about three finger-widths below the navel—and imagine this as the ground or “seat” of your breath. Feel the inhalation and exhalation moving in and out of your body in time with the rise and fall of your abdomen, and keep your attention anchored on this point. If you get distracted, work with your thoughts the same way you do in seated zazen: see them, let them go, and return to your breath. Let every cell in your body, every thought of your mind, be nothing but breath.
3. Next match your breath to your stride, experimenting with different breathing patterns. First, try inhaling for three steps and exhaling for four in a 3:4 pattern. If you’re running faster, try a 2:3 pattern, placing your attention on the exhalation and letting the inhalation happen by itself. Notice the difference in your body and mind when you lengthen the exhalation, or when you allow it to be the same as the inhalation (a 3:3 or 4:4 pattern). I find that letting the exhalation be slightly longer quiets down my thoughts and settles my body.
4. Keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose as you run, or inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Be careful not to hold your breath or let the exhale get too long before you inhale again. If you start gasping, slow down a bit. Walk if you have to. Just stay connected with your breath and your hara as you move. Continue running at a steady pace, letting your breath flow as you feel your body moving through space.
5. Allow yourself to be fully present to your thoughts, your feelings, and the act of running. Many people spend their running time wishing that it was over; few are actually present as it’s happening. I think this is a disservice to you and to running. So, as my first teacher, Daido Roshi, used to say, “Do what you’re doing as you’re doing it.” Forget about what happened before or what comes next. If you can do this, you’ll be making room for joy to naturally arise—the joy of being fully in your life as you’re living it.”