Hello and welcome to an at running anthropologist guided meditation.
Jesse Owens once said that running is a universal equalizer with the potential to connect humankind in so many ways.
We begin by connecting with ourselves.
By setting an intention for this time together.
Perhaps it's to be more present to our running practice.
Perhaps it's to achieve a new goal or a new focus.
We can do this meditation in any space.
Warming up,
Cooling down,
Walking,
Stretching.
The importance is to connect with our breath.
Breathing in deeply through our nose,
We expand our belly and send that breath as deep as we can into all of our body parts.
Breathing out through our mouth.
Again breathing in deeply.
Any places of discomfort,
Any places of pain.
Letting that breath feed those places with oxygen.
Grateful for the oxygen we're bringing in.
New research by Neuroscience News,
The Guardian,
Mindful Magazine have shown us that there's a rewiring of the brain that occurs with endurance running.
Showing an increase in neuroplasticity and noticing the flexibility of the brain.
Thinking creatively about new concepts.
The more that we're present and aware,
The better we're able to do this.
To appreciate the depths of the communities or places that we run.
Where we are.
Putting our attention on it.
Conceiving of a new attitude of presence,
Gratitude,
Attentiveness and drawing others into it.
We are creators.
We are running anthropologists,
Discoverers,
Explorers.
Not only what is around us,
But also on an inward journey.
The more we breathe and notice the inner workings of ourselves,
The more we can give back and notice the beauty around us.
Thus this meditation is designed with runners in mind to extend their practice.
It will take three parts.
Visualization,
Affirmation and a closing with acceptance.
Personal affirmations are a powerful tool.
You can accept the ones that fit you and let go of any others.
This need not involve slowing down,
But it may for some.
If you need to focus,
Pause,
Find a more grounded place,
Feel free to do so now.
Again,
Breathing deeply into any areas of tightness or anything that may be a lingering thought holding us back from completely focusing.
Breathing in,
We are present.
Breathing out,
We have peace.
Setting a clear intention,
Let's begin.
Perhaps we're fostering a healthy connection with our body mind,
Perhaps gratitude and thankfulness.
Visualize that presence being with you throughout your run and throughout your day.
Visualize yourself becoming more and more what you intend to be.
Perhaps this will follow you to all the places you go.
Recognizing small bits of magic and uniqueness.
A gift you have to give to yourself and others.
Spawned and brought about by your running practice.
Perhaps you'll see the world with new eyes.
Perhaps the things that bothered you won't do so,
So much anymore.
As you recall,
Your feet hitting the earth,
Your eyes moving to the nature and people around you,
Your muscles moving in coordination with your consciousness,
Creating a oneness,
An instinctual movement,
Or a positivity.
Just take a moment to visualize yourself,
Allowing this to stick with you,
Past run or future run,
Realizing that it will be good and it will be exactly the way it is meant to be.
Affirmations,
Our power tool of intention setting.
I take time to breathe.
I accept life around me and share gratitude.
I give back to the communities and people that I encounter on my running path.
I seek out,
Foster,
And praise the best in myself and the best in others that are a part of my running practice.
I seek out,
Foster,
And praise.
In this very moment,
I am enough and I have enough.
My run is exactly the way it is supposed to be.
It's unfolding.
My practice,
Exactly the way it is supposed to unfold.
In this moment,
I am enough and I have enough to do whatever I need to do,
To run,
To feel life,
Beauty,
And air.
I devote myself to recognizing my true and best self and practicing acceptance.
Whatever pace I'm moving at,
Whatever I'm feeling,
I accept and realize the gift that I have in my running practice and the gift that I have in the present,
Which has nothing to do with pace or accomplishment,
But all to do with my inward attitude and my journey.
I seek out,
Foster,
And praise the best in those I run with and the best in myself.
And our third part of the meditation,
Acceptance.
One of the most important aspects of mindful running is being in tune with ourselves and accepting whatever rises up.
As such,
My pain,
Discomfort,
Or tiredness will inevitably arise.
I accept them and let them flow past me,
Knowing they are part of running practice and that they are relative to their opposites.
In fact,
There would be no understanding of joy,
Of ease,
Of accomplishment and energy without some pain,
Some sorrow,
Some setbacks,
And some tiredness.
This is how we gauge our limits,
Our boundaries.
What allows us to push beyond them,
To realize we manifest our thoughts and to give us warnings,
To help us to heal.
So we welcome them.
We welcome these limits and we accept them as they arise.
We accept the healing process and setbacks,
Moving slower some days and faster others.
It's all part of the journey.
I accept the place that I'm running,
Moving through as a running anthropologist.
I see deeply into the cultures and people that I run through.
I see them as an opportunity to explore,
To have more gratitude,
To have more fun and joy,
To engage with others,
Or to engage in nature.
The sounds,
The sunlight,
The movement of trees and leaves.
I accept them with gratitude and discover what I encounter.
If running with others,
I share this with them,
This newfound joy and ability to look deeply.
We'll close our meditation with a few moments of deep breathing.
Again,
Breathing in through our nose,
Allowing that to reach deeply into us,
Opening our belly into any places that need oxygen,
Breathing out our newfound peace back into the world.
Breathing in deeply with gratitude for this meditation as running anthropologists.
May you experience the peace and joy of running today.
And may peace be with you.
Be running.
