Movement Meditation: That’s a thing?

Wooded trail movement meditation

Movement Meditation: That’s a thing?

On a bright Saturday morning, as I ran along the Olentangy Trail with three other members of our pace group, the conversation turned to meditation. It might as easily have turned to which central Ohio restaurant we would go to for breakfast, upcoming races, or last week’s Buckeye football game. Instead, a woman asked how I practice.

“I do sitting meditation,” I said. “But I also meditate while I run. I was meditating just now.”

“That’s a thing?” another woman asked.

“It is for me.” I explained.

“Today, I’m noticing my left foot. When my mind wanders, I gently bring it back.”

“The whole run?”

“Most of it.”

“How long can you think about your foot? Isn’t that boring?”

“I don’t think about my foot. I experience it. I notice the sensation of my foot hitting the ground and observe any changes. I pay attention to how
my foot feels in my shoe. I sense if it hits harder than my right. When my mind wanders, I count my footfalls. When I pay close attention, it’s not
boring at all.”

Silence.

Eventually, someone brought up breakfast.

But a few weeks later, the woman who initially asked approached me. “I tried your left foot meditation. It’s interesting. I rarely pay attention to my
feet. Since I tried it, I feel more relaxed when I run.” She thanked me. That brief conversation led to this book. The woman, like many other people I’ve talked to, found the notion of movement meditation odd but also appealing. Movement meditation was worth exploring and explaining.
Of course, I didn’t create movement meditation; centuries-old traditions embrace it. But for that woman, it was new.

What I didn’t tell my sister runner was that this path of noticing—whether it be her left foot, her breath, or her thinking—is about much more than
physical activity.

Meditation might make her a better runner, or make someone else a better golfer, tennis player, dancer, gymnast, or weight lifter, but more importantly, consistent practice could lead her to insight—the kind that can enhance daily life. It might even free her from suffering, a pain she might not even know she has. If one person finds that, it will be worth any effort.


This excerpt is from Make Every Move a Meditation by Nita Sweeney which is available now through Amazon and Mango Media.

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