Tai Chi of Running Part 4
I run for three main reasons, stamina, lung health and embodiment.
I’m a musician, a rock musician, and performing can be physical. I like to know that I can endure through a lengthy set if I need to.
Lung issues run in my family. Running helps me keep my lungs clear.
I’ve been meditating for 50 years. Employing these meditations as I run helps me to embody these meditations.
Today I’m going to share the next component of my running method.
Before I do, though, a couple of side notes regarding hips and hands.
Sway Your Hips
Western culture emphasizes a forward motion mindset which tends to create an locked hip phenomenon with very little side motion. This is prevalent with men but also shows up in women to a lesser degree. If you watch a really embodied woman walk she sways her hips from side to side. This is actually really good for the hips. Running can magnify body patterning so if you have the tendency to lock your hips it can become especially obvious when running. The antidote is to sway your hips like a a woman. This need not be extremely obvious. Just do it enough to clearly feel you weight shifting from side to side on each stride. Your hips will thank you.
THIS IS THE WRONG WAY
THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY
Beautiful Lady’s Hands
There is a principle in Tai Chi called Beautiful Lady’s Hands. This refers to a state somewhere between clenched and hyper extended. This hand posture will relax the tension in your body.
In addition, facing your right hand up and left hand down creates a relationship with sky and earth.
Contouring
Ok, now we’re ready for the next phase of the running sequence.
The Tibetan monks created an eye chart. It looks like this.
I’ve been doing this chart for decades. You hang this on a wall at eye level and put your nose up to the center. You start at the top and follow the contour of the diagram clockwise until returning to the starting place.
I’ve extrapolated this practice to anything in my field of vision, eyes open or closed, far or near. You can contour literally anything.
Hence, the next leg of this running journey is to contour what ever it is you’re seeing, while running. Do this as you continue the focuses we’ve developed throughout the last three blogs. In other words, as you breathe into your Dan Tien, noticing your heart beating, and feeling the sensation in your pineal gland, contour the edge of what you’re seeing . I know it sounds like a lot to do at once but it’s entirely possible. It’s kind of like your eyes become a portal for this energy in your body to touch the world outside.
So to sum it up the method so far, breathe into the Dan Tien for the first quarter of your running distance, add your heart beat for the next quarter, then add sensation in the pineal gland and lastly include contouring.
Remember to shift your weigh from side to side and face your right hand up and left hand down.
That’s it for this week!
Try these techniques and let me know how it goes, both during your run and when your not running.
I need to remind you that you are the captain of your own ship and to decide for yourself if these running instructions are good for you.
If you missed the first three articles, here they are.
Christopher lives Boulder, Co., attended Naropa Institute and has been meditating for 50 years.
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