{"id":33617,"date":"2018-05-15T11:38:15","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T18:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=33617"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:05:47","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:05:47","slug":"meditation-for-runners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/meditation-for-runners","title":{"rendered":"For Runners: How to Stop Stalling and Start Meditating"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor’s note: This story is part two of a two-part series on the scientific study of meditation and\u00a0mindfulness for runners. Missed part one?\u00a0Check it out here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

If the benefits of meditation could be packed into pills, they\u2019d be flying off store shelves. Recent science has confirmed that this centuries-old practice confers a host of health benefits: Studies show that meditation can help combat stress<\/a>, ease physical pain<\/a>, increase mental alertness and creativity<\/a>, improve sleep<\/a> and even slow the body\u2019s aging process<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meditation can even improve your running. \u201cEstablishing a daily meditation practice has helped me train smarter and stronger,\u201d says ultrarunner Timothy Allen Olson. \u201cIt\u2019s improved my ability to take stock of my mental and physical state, which has let me avoid running injuries because I\u2019m tuning into my body\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular sessions of seated meditation also help Olson get into the zone quickly and easily while running. \u201cWhen stresses arise\u2014in running or in life\u2014I\u2019m able to combat them so much better,\u201d says Olson, who\u2019s made seated meditation a part of his daily routine for years now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet most Americans, including runners, still shy away from the be-still, eyes-closed kind of meditation that researchers say is so beneficial. That\u2019s probably because most Westerners have a skewed idea of what meditation really is.<\/span><\/p>\n

The image of the cross-legged swami is \u201cmore of a caricature of meditation, rather than the reality,\u201d explains Light Watkins, a meditation practitioner and instructor in Santa Monica, California. His latest book, \u201cBliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying,\u201d was published in January. \u201cThe idea that you have to sit like the Buddha or that you have to be a soft-spoken ascetic that eschews meat and alcohol just isn\u2019t accurate,\u201d Watkins says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most Americans make additional assumptions about meditation that just aren\u2019t true. Here are three of the more common myths.<\/span><\/p>\n

Myth #1: \u201cMy head isn\u2019t calm and empty, so I must be doing it wrong.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not so, says Watkins. \u201cHaving a swirly mind is totally normal and part of the process,\u201d he says. Your job isn\u2019t to suppress your thoughts and emotions, only to observe them without judgment or self-criticism. \u201cTry to view that swirl of thoughts as a layer that you can move beyond,\u201d he suggests. Watkins compares the barrage of thoughts to the asteroid belt that Han Solo had to fly through. \u201cIt can be scary, with your thoughts blindsiding you, but you just have to hold on and let your mind move through it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Myth #2: \u201cBut running is my meditation.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Sorry, says Watkins. \u201cIt might seem like meditation, if running is the only time you\u2019re not thinking about the past or the future,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s not technically meditation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Olson agrees. His initial attempts at meditation took place while he ran, because he found it difficult to sit still. \u201cBut that\u2019s mindful running, not meditation,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s still really important to do the sitting thing, because that\u2019s what has the greatest benefits. Seated meditation improves your mindful running, but they\u2019re not the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Myth #3: \u201cMeditation will help me block out pain.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Not exactly. Various studies<\/a> have concluded that meditation can help reduce chronic pain. But chronic pain is different from acute pain (the hurt you feel while running). Plus, says Olson, meditation isn\u2019t about suppressing pain\u2014or anything else. Instead, it trains you to treat pain like any other intrusion: You observe the discomfort, without judgment or alarm. In a sense, you overcome it by staring it down. \u201cWhen you observe it and accept it, many times pain simply dissolves,\u201d says Olson.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, how can you start meditating?<\/p>\n

Sit Down<\/b><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to sit cross-legged. Says Watkins, \u201cYou can sit in any way that\u2019s comfortable.\u201d That could mean adopting the same pose you use for watching TV. Only comfort is key. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to be able to experience a settled mind if all you can think about is how uncomfortable you are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If you feel too restless to sit? Try it anyway. \u201cIt\u2019s not the sitting that\u2019s hard,\u201d says Watkins. \u201cIt\u2019s developing new habits that feels like torture. The more you make seated meditation a habit, the easier it feels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Breathe Freely<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people think they need to breathe like Darth Vader in order to meditate,\u201d says Watkins. But he finds that breathing naturally, without any attempt to manipulate your breath or make it impressively slow or deep, achieves the best pathway to calm. \u201cIf you truly want to lose yourself, don\u2019t control anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Close Your Eyes<\/b><\/p>\n

It may feel uncomfortable at first, but you’ve got to close your eyes to make this work. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to achieve a settled mind when you\u2019re hyper-aware,\u201d says Watkins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Observe and Accept Your Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n

You may experience a flurry of brain activity instead of the calm you\u2019re hoping to feel\u2014and that\u2019s okay, says Watkins. \u201cSee your mind as an ally, not the enemy,\u201d he suggests. Give it enough time, and it\u2019ll work through the clutter.<\/span><\/p>\nPart One: Mindfulness for Runners<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Editor’s note: This story is part two of a two-part series on the scientific study of meditation and\u00a0mindfulness for runners. Missed part one?\u00a0Check it out here.] If the benefits of meditation could be packed into pills, they\u2019d be flying off store shelves. Recent science has confirmed that this centuries-old practice confers a host of health […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":33643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[727,740,359,1376,66],"internal-tag":[1676,1682],"class_list":["post-33617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-run","tag-latest-posts","tag-mindfulness","tag-run","tag-running","tag-tips","internal-tag-pre-redirect-run","internal-tag-pre-redirect-running"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/run\/meditation-for-runners","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"For Runners: How to Stop Stalling and Start Meditating","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/meditation-for-runners","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/meditation-for-runners"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/Meditate-6963.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/05\/Meditate-6963.jpg?fit=5616%2C3744"},"articleSection":"Run","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["latest posts","mindfulness","run","running","tips"],"dateCreated":"2018-05-15T18:38:15Z","datePublished":"2018-05-15T18:38:15Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:05:47Z"},"rendered":"