Welcome.
Thank you for allowing me to participate with you in your journey to internalize the concept of jogging for joy.
Make yourself comfortable by allowing the muscles in your face and in your neck and in your shoulders to fall.
Help relax your body and mind by just listening to your breathing.
Breathe very deeply and very slowly.
Quiet your mind of any questions,
Of any responsibilities,
Thoughts,
And desires by just breathing deeply and gently.
Take a moment and appreciate yourself for making the time to listen to this meditation.
Take a deep breath in and out.
Please start jogging slowly now.
Breathe normally through both your nose and mouth.
If you need to slow down or stop,
Please do so and resume running when you feel ready.
Aim for speeds of approximately six to eight miles an hour.
In this moment,
Associate the action of jogging as an attuning mechanism that precisely aligns your body and mind so that you can fully access all of your capabilities.
Remember,
This is now your private time to focus on what brings you joy.
So what brings you joy?
Is it the company of your friends and family?
Is it taking vacations or practicing your hobbies alone?
Or is it simpler than that?
Maybe it's seeing your pet when you come home from work.
Or a memory of childhood play.
Maybe it's reading the works of your favorite author.
Or planting in your garden.
Or a certain song,
A smell,
Or flavor that transforms your mood.
Whatever it is,
Visualize your joyful experience in slow motion and from outside your body.
Simply see yourself relive that moment and focus on seeing the joyful expression on your face.
Take a deep breath and try to gradually increase your jogging pace.
Now let's journey further inward.
Together,
Let's imagine some of what's physically happening inside your chest and head right now as you run.
At this very moment,
Your body is functioning like a busy factory made up of departments,
Each manufacturing different kinds of energy and chemicals in order to keep this metaphoric assembly line of homeostasis flowing.
Take a conscious breath.
Try to keep your jogging speed constant.
Imagine in your chest,
Your lungs are like balloons.
Imagine them gradually expanding and contracting calmly and peacefully.
Your heart is like a huge jelly bean with tubes attached.
Imagine it beating loudly and relentlessly.
Imagine in your head,
Your brain is like two sponges pressed together.
Imagine it transmitting a chemical that makes you feel a little less pain and makes you feel a little more joy.
After some training and repetition,
This is what some call a runner's high.
Take another conscious breath and try to maintain your jogging pace.
Finally,
Remember how lucky you are.
Right now,
You are living in a time that kings,
Queens,
And pharaohs of the ancient past could never dream of.
Because compared to the people of the ancient past,
You can now read about,
See,
And talk to almost anyone in the world from any location.
You can buy what you need almost instantly and have it brought to your door within days.
You can travel across oceans and visit new cultures at little risk to you because others invented the technology you now enjoy.
You carry a supercomputer in your pocket,
Technologically more powerful than the Apollo 11 spacecraft.
And now you're using it to listen to this recording while you exercise.
All while having instant access to the world's knowledge at any time and for any length of time.
Take another breath and try to run gently and silently.
While you run,
Challenge yourself to think of as many reasons to feel lucky and then share them with someone you love when you get home.
Start by genuinely asking yourself,
What am I grateful for?
What am I grateful for?
And without scrutiny,
Let your thoughts be your answers.
Take a final deep breath in and out.
Stay relaxed and gradually reduce your jogging pace.
Take a moment to appreciate yourself.
Thank yourself for the discipline you've shown throughout this meditation.
Take all the time you need to just breathe and remember you can return to this meditation whenever you please.
Remember that the more you practice this meditation,
The faster and easier it will work for you.
Thank you for taking the time to begin learning to internalize the concept of jogging for joy.
Let me leave you with these words.
It's a great day to be alive.
