It’s a pretty cold day here in the Northeast. I doubt we’ll reach anywhere near 30 degrees today and this morning was downright brutal. It was so cold when I went out to warm up the car that I wore a big puffy down jacket and still felt the chill. Yesterday it was somewhat warmer, which was a good thing since I decided to run 10 miles in preparation for the Manhattan ½ marathon, scheduled for next Sunday. It was the first time I ran 10 miles in quite a while and I’m relieved to report that I accomplished the run with minimal discomfort, despite the fact that there was a stiff cold wind blowing and I was underdressed for the temperature. Staten Island is also a pretty hilly place which also presents its own set of challenges. I had forgotten the feeling of bliss associated with runs lasting longer than one hour. The first five miles is the hardest, after that the run begins to flow and is remarkably effortless except for minor aches and pains. Increased alpha waves and endorphins together really make for a winning combination. I think if I can knock off the ½ next Sunday I’ll keep up the long runs and try to run a full marathon in the spring. After all 40 is the new 30 and I ran my last full marathon when I was 30 so what the hell.
Japanese Zen Buddhist monks practice a style of walking mediation known as kinhin. Practitioners walk clockwise around a room while holding their hands in shashu (left fist closed, while the right hand grasps the left fist). During this particular type of walking meditation a step is taken after each full breath. It is a rather slow way of getting around the room, but it works out the kinks in the legs common to long periods of sitting meditation. I have always thought of running as a faster, more fluid type of walking mediation; a running meditation, if you will. Running in the streets of Staten Island certainly requires total concentration. As a byproduct of this intense concentration I find that on the longer runs, solutions to problems that seem intractable when pondered during the working day often have a way of bubbling up from my subconscious. One can see the parallels to the instantaneous enlightenment experience of Zen. In any event, running keeps me sane and the longer I run, the saner I tend to get. Which is a good thing.
Japanese Zen Buddhist monks practice a style of walking mediation known as kinhin. Practitioners walk clockwise around a room while holding their hands in shashu (left fist closed, while the right hand grasps the left fist). During this particular type of walking meditation a step is taken after each full breath. It is a rather slow way of getting around the room, but it works out the kinks in the legs common to long periods of sitting meditation. I have always thought of running as a faster, more fluid type of walking mediation; a running meditation, if you will. Running in the streets of Staten Island certainly requires total concentration. As a byproduct of this intense concentration I find that on the longer runs, solutions to problems that seem intractable when pondered during the working day often have a way of bubbling up from my subconscious. One can see the parallels to the instantaneous enlightenment experience of Zen. In any event, running keeps me sane and the longer I run, the saner I tend to get. Which is a good thing.
1 comment:
I'm happy to see that you are exploring running and Zen. I would be happy to share some thoughts on the matter and pass along some helpful advice to an enthusiastic novice. Be aware of your kōan.
1. Concentration. In the beginning, it’s important that you practice concentration. It’s not something that comes naturally to most of us. Try to do it for as long as you can, bringing yourself back to the moment every time you find yourself pulling away. Monitor your thoughts, and when you find a thought that is not of this moment (thinking about something you have to do later, for example), don’t try to stop the thought. Just be aware of it, acknowledge it, and allow it to leave gently. Then return to the moment.
2. Breathing. A good place to start, when you’re practicing concentration, is breathing. This is true of traditional zazen, of course, but it’s also very true of running or other exercise, because breathing is an important part of exercise. By concentrating on your breathing, you can monitor how hard you’re exercising, and adjust your running up or down accordingly. I like to ensure that I’m not breathing too hard.
3. Bursts. Again, concentration is difficult in the beginning. It can be hard to concentrate for very long. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Try practicing concentration in small bursts at first, of just 10 seconds at a time. Let yourself rest in between, and then concentrate some more for another 10 seconds, and repeat. Later, you can stretch this to 20 or 30 seconds, or even a minute or two with practice.
4. Time every day. This isn’t mandatory, but I suggest finding some time every day to practice this form of meditation. Does that mean you should run every day? Not necessarily — you could run and bike and walk on alternate days, for example. Or you could do what I’ve done, and slowly build yourself up to where you can run just about every day, alternating hard days with really easy days (of only a slow mile or so). Making it a can’t-miss appointment at the same time every day is a good idea.
5. Contemplation. When you tire of trying to concentrate, allow yourself to contemplate. Think about your day, about your life in general, about what’s important to you, about your goals, about the people in your life. This kind of contemplation should be a part of every person’s life.
6. Intervals. I like to alternate between concentration and contemplation. One workout I did just yesterday was hill intervals. I run a very hilly route, and while I usually take it easy going up the hills, yesterday I decided to run it hard up the hills and take it easy on the way down. And I decided to concentrate on the moment as I ran up the hills, and then allow myself to contemplate as I took it easy down the hills. It was a great workout! Bonus: as I ran down the hills, I had a great view of the ocean and the sunset in the bay below the hills where I live. It was awesome!
7. Stress. If you find yourself stressed during the day (and who among us doesn’t?), it can be very therapeutic to run at the end of the day, in the early evening before it gets dark. Again, focus on concentration and contemplation, alternating the two, and you will notice the stress melting away. Exercise is naturally a wonderful stress reliever (it’s the main reason I took up running), but combined with these two methods, it is one of the best I’ve ever used.
8. Ideas. Contemplation time is also a terrific time to come up with ideas. I use it to come up with ideas for posts on this blog, or ideas for fiction I want to write, or projects I want to do, or things I want to do with Eva and the kids. The key is writing the ideas down when I get home, as I am reluctant to carry my Moleskine notebook with me on my runs.
9. Journal. On that note, I think it’s also useful to keep a journal and record some of the thoughts you have during contemplation, and some notes about your concentration times. During contemplation, if you review your day and think about what’s important in life, you’ll often have thoughts that you want to remember later. A journal is a great way to get those thoughts on record and make the most of your contemplation.
10. Be in the moment. Once you get good at concentration (and I can’t claim to be that good yet), you can focus on more than just your breathing. While breathing is a good way to start, there are other things going on in the moment that you can concentrate on. A useful method is to open your mind up to your environment, both outside of yourself and within yourself. Be aware of what’s around you, of the sights and sounds, and be aware of your breathing, the aches and pains of your muscles and joints, your muscles as they work during your run, your feet as they hit the ground, the wind as it hits your skin, your hair rustling in that wind, your thoughts as you run. Being in the moment is a very powerful thing to learn, and while it’s not easy to learn it all at once, with practice you will get better and better at it.
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