Somebody over at the RunningAHEAD (http://www.runningahead.com) forums started a topic about running and spirituality. I believe that my running has a very strong spiritual element, and I responded to the topic with the writing that follows below.
I find that running lends itself very well to spiritual practice. It is a physical task that can also have a mental and spiritual component to it. You have to have mental endurance to run for hours and stay on task. Running can also be spiritual as it gives you time to meditate on anything you want to. Of course, there are plenty of physical benefits to running as well!
I find that running keeps me rooted to the universe around me as I see, listen, smell, and feel the world around me when I run and feel more rooted to the present and the "now" than during many other activities. Just the physical activity of running is a reflection of how running keeps me balanced and rooted to the world, as each step requires my body to be in perfect balance (otherwise I would fall), each step puts me directly in physical contact with the ground reinforcing that grounded feeling of being part of the universe, and the sensation of flying with both feet off the ground reflects the dreams and possibilities of being a human being in this universe. As in life, running can also bring joy, elation, pain, and suffering, all of which contribute to your existence in this world.
I am not Christian, nor do I believe in any god(s), but I think everybody of any belief or creed can use their running to help realize how wonderful and miraculous this world is and to appreciate their place in the universe. If you give thanks or say a blessing before a meal, consider saying the same before your run as it is no less a gift. Personally, running has contributed an incredible amount to my personal physical, mental, and spiritual growth. It didn't start out that way, but that's what it has evolved into. It is one of the ways that I can experience and be thankful that there is something -- this incredible universe -- instead of nothing.
Hiro.....I miss you....
3 years ago
