Running really is meditative

I always thought running was moving meditation. I didn't really need proof, but now I have it in the form of a quote from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, "a renowned teacher of Buddhist meditation and 3:05 marathoner" (Runner's World). In the November issue of that magazine, Sakyong that "peace is really a living, active experience, which is embodied in running."

On his own web site, the monk says that "With a body made joyous through movement, the mind is able to relax. With mind/body balance, we can take the power of feeling good and generate compassion... As runners we connect to the earth and reach for sky. By challenging and extending ourselves we become more than who we thought we were. With a relaxed and vast mind we can then extend this sense of peace to the rest of the world."

Yes, yes, yes. This is seconded not only by me but by a recent article in Monitor on Psychology which talked about how repetitive athletic activities, notably running, can induce a relaxation response in the brain. I knew that. Every runner knows that.

Of the 15K Peace Run, which was held at the Shambhala monastery in northern Colorado last July, about which I read in Runner's World and in which I plan to participate next year, Sakyong says that “Running is always such a personal thing, and to be able to run for something greater than oneself was wonderful.”

On that note, in 2 weeks I will be guiding a blind runner in the Denver Half marathon. Because I agree. To be able to run for something greater than oneself is wonderful.