National Running Day - Is Running Meditation for life?
11:21 AM 0 Comments »
I've been a runner on and off for the last fifteen years. Last year I (slowly) ran the New York City Marathon. Today is national running day, and as a Buddhist Meditator I thought it would be appropriate to tackle the question "Is running meditation?" here at beliefnet. Folks who run will often say running is their meditation, or that running is zen, and I think it's worth examining these statements in light of what we know to be the benefits of a regular practice of sitting meditation. Since I have run hundreds if not thousands of miles, and I meditate daily, I feel that I can speak about this from a position of experience rather than speculation on this most holy of days, national running day.
I'm going to over-generalize and say there are two things that are referered to as meditation, only one of which is truly meditation. There's a kind of "clear your head and bliss out" meditation- which is really a relaxation technique. Then there's meditation with the purpose of revealing the truth of interconnectedness and compassion. Blissing out and feeling good is not the same thing as removing crusty ego structures in pursuit of greater compassion. The kind of meditation espoused by Buddha (and really, the only thing he said you gotta do) is the "sit down, shut up, and pay attention without getting stuck in your thoughts" kind.
Sometimes after sitting, I do have kind of a chill, mellow feeling; but sometimes some pretty fearsome stuff comes up that does not leave me feeling at all blissed-out. I have no expectation of one or the other, and merely try to be present with whatever comes up and to not follow too many distracting thoughts before returning to my breath. If I were sitting to bliss out, relax, or make myself feel chilled out, that would not only be a different kind of meditation it would also not do much to make me a more compassionate and "interdependent aware" person. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not what true contemplative practice is about, and should be thought of more as a relexation technique.
As a runner, I frequently get extremely chilled out by a run. I used to think that this blissed out feeling you get after a good 30 or 40 minute run was meditation, but then I started meditating. The chilled out feeling from running is actually a chemical response your body and brain has to repetitive motion. An AWESOME feeling to be sure, but not the same as meditation.
Another thing that happens during a long run (or even a good long walk) is that I tend to start thinking about problems or creative ideas I have, and sometimes I will get an amazing revelation or sense of clarity about something that I did not have before the run. It's almost like the repetitive motion allows your brain to bubble up ideas that otherwise get buried underneath all the noise. This is also awesome, and this is what a lot of runners or walkers refer to when they say "running is their meditation". Again, you can certainly sit on your cushion with the goal of coming up with solutions to problems or creative ideas, but this is better referred to as concentration, or directed thought - it is not meditation.
Now that I have experienced several years of what actual meditation is, as well as having experienced nearly fifteen years of running (the first 12 of which I thought "running is MY meditation") I can compare the two. Running can give you great clarity and it can leave you feeling chilled out and refreshed, but neither of these are really the core benefit of a regular practice of sitting meditation. The profound difference in my life and how I relate to people around me as a result of true contemplative practice is radically different than the states of clarity or bliss that I experience when running. I love that I get to experience both, but my conclusion is this: Running is not meditiation, but I couldn't imagine giving up either.
Sometimes after sitting, I do have kind of a chill, mellow feeling; but sometimes some pretty fearsome stuff comes up that does not leave me feeling at all blissed-out. I have no expectation of one or the other, and merely try to be present with whatever comes up and to not follow too many distracting thoughts before returning to my breath. If I were sitting to bliss out, relax, or make myself feel chilled out, that would not only be a different kind of meditation it would also not do much to make me a more compassionate and "interdependent aware" person. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not what true contemplative practice is about, and should be thought of more as a relexation technique.
As a runner, I frequently get extremely chilled out by a run. I used to think that this blissed out feeling you get after a good 30 or 40 minute run was meditation, but then I started meditating. The chilled out feeling from running is actually a chemical response your body and brain has to repetitive motion. An AWESOME feeling to be sure, but not the same as meditation.
Another thing that happens during a long run (or even a good long walk) is that I tend to start thinking about problems or creative ideas I have, and sometimes I will get an amazing revelation or sense of clarity about something that I did not have before the run. It's almost like the repetitive motion allows your brain to bubble up ideas that otherwise get buried underneath all the noise. This is also awesome, and this is what a lot of runners or walkers refer to when they say "running is their meditation". Again, you can certainly sit on your cushion with the goal of coming up with solutions to problems or creative ideas, but this is better referred to as concentration, or directed thought - it is not meditation.
Now that I have experienced several years of what actual meditation is, as well as having experienced nearly fifteen years of running (the first 12 of which I thought "running is MY meditation") I can compare the two. Running can give you great clarity and it can leave you feeling chilled out and refreshed, but neither of these are really the core benefit of a regular practice of sitting meditation. The profound difference in my life and how I relate to people around me as a result of true contemplative practice is radically different than the states of clarity or bliss that I experience when running. I love that I get to experience both, but my conclusion is this: Running is not meditiation, but I couldn't imagine giving up either.
