Does anyone have any experience with a running meditation?

Tosh

I've been playing about with a running meditation, but can't seem to settle on anything. So much seems to be going on; breathing, arms and legs moving, feet hitting the ground. And then you've got the discomfort.

Can anyone give me any tips with doing a running meditation?

Thanks.

taiyaki

feel all of it at once. feel the whole process as a whole. then deconstruct it into parts, then the whole again.
then feel both the parts and the whole. move your awareness up and down everywhere and then the whole again.

it all depends on what your intention is. do you want to develop concentration or insight? or both?

ideally you'd work on both at the same time. thus the whole idea of concentrating on a broader field of sensations, while examining the mechanics of body/mind.

Vajraheart

I've done lots of bicycle meditation. Where one just focuses on the breath/prana going through the muscles, everything just relaxes, you experience the tingle of the pain and it no longer hurts. I was a bike rickshaw driver in midtown manhattan for 5 years and 2 years in Florida. I had to use various alternate levels of perception to overcome the pain and turn it into fuel and joy for the sake of the passengers.

Florida was very easy compared to midtown Manhattan. Whew.... My legs used to be two huge monsters!!

Hanzze

Why don't look for the reason for such compensations? *smile*

ddrishi

I have heard of walking meditation, and have also done it whenever possible. But never heard of running meditation, probably because running involves so much of physical focus that it might be difficult to align one's mind to it too.

Vajraheart

Why don't look for the reason for such compensations? *smile*

Sometimes I just don't understand what you intend to mean through your statements. Sorry. I know it's a language barrier.

Vajraheart

I have heard of walking meditation, and have also done it whenever possible. But never heard of running meditation, probably because running involves so much of physical focus that it might be difficult to align one's mind to it too.

You can I think, but only if you have sufficient Jhana depth I would think. I experience jhana in running as well.

Hanzze

Pleasure *smile* needs a lot of energy, isn't it... but we make it for the welfare of all beings. And who runs?

Vajraheart

Pleasure *smile* needs a lot of energy, isn't it... but we make it for the welfare of all beings. And who runs?

Plenty say I have waaay too much energy. I'm considered, "intense".

But... for me it's just relaxing... on a high level though.. not on a low level. Some jhana bliss knowers may understand what that means?

Hanzze

Sometimes its the sugar that desires for more sugar and causes the endless running on. *smile*

Some walking meditation is really good (when the mind is very distracted and restless) But beware, at the beginning you would even fall down. Even it sounds unbelievable. We are not used to do things slowly with awareness. Try it. Slowly, slowly

Fist label right and left. Moving the right foot notice 'right', moving the left foot notice 'left'. Just notice to move and dont look at the feets, dont look around, just 1,5 m on the ground in front of you.
Then try to give notice also on 'lifting' 'pushing' 'dropping'. With more mindfulness you can label 'intention' 'lifting' 'donning' 'pushing' 'dropping' 'touch'

*smile*

Arn

I have a bit of experience with it. Mostly I've found that concentration on something in particular other than the running is very hard when the running is intense. My best meditation (during running) happens when I run quite slowly - that shuffle/jog that you can keep up all day. At this pace breathing is easy and you can watch the birds in the trees or focus on your meditation.

Mostly I do exactly what you said - pay attention to my body, the way it feels, each moment in its exquisite detail, just being. The faster I go the more my mind drifts so when I meditate I keep it very easy. I sometimes jokingly tell people that paying such close attention to this body is an almost erotic experience

Another alternative is chanting. The easiest one I've found to chant running is just Om on each breath, focussing on the breath and sound more than my body, letting all thought fall away. Again for me this is best when I'm moving at a very easy pace, maybe a bit faster than the first method.

Lastly when I push myself very hard I find that maintaining a complicated chain of thought is nigh on impossible anyway and I'm almost forced to concentrate on the here-and-now (ie the pain lol) - but surprisingly when I really look at that pain closely theres really not that much there...

CalBound

I do running meditation sometimes. Usually I focus on my feet making contact with the ground. Sometimes, when trail running, I also focus on my physical surroundings (sights/sounds/feel of the sun, wind), which can be tricky if you start looking around other than where you are running -- best is to focus on foot fall, with option of shifting to surroundings if you are taking a walk break (say, up a big hill).

Tosh

Thanks guys, I've taken a variety of suggestions from this post, and seem to practise different bits, depending on what's going on, how hard I'm breathing, and how knackered I am.

I'll count 'foot slaps' to four, "one, two, three, four" and try to keep that rhythm.

I'll do meditating on the breath.

I'll do a mantra in time with the breath (Om Ah Hum), or just Om on the out breath if I'm going hard.

All looking 1.5 meters in front of me, at the ground.

And when I'm in cruise control (just slow jogging at the end of a session), I'll just try to open up my mind, take in the scenery, and be mindful in a non cognitive way. This is the bit I'm attached too.

Thanks. I think I just need to play with it some more.

I_AM_THAT

I was a runner in my younger days ... This is what is called a runners high!