Can Running be YOGA?

Reflections on My Yoga Experience while Running the Scenic Half Marathon Chattanooga, TN -February 25, 2012-My 49th Birthday

Can running be a yoga practice? Does running have the same sense of awareness, stillness, acceptance, letting go, drawing inward, opening, gratitude… all of the experiences gently suggested by any yoga class or within any individual study and practice? These questions are the reflective musings of my now quieted mind on this my forty nine years of life celebrated with my first half marathon experience of the year. (Happy Birthday to Me)

Is yoga more than any one pose or combination of poses typically portrayed in any yoga class, workshop, video or other media outlet? Can running, or any activity/practice done with the same energy, feeling, awareness, mindfulness as a typical yoga class be considered part of the yogic experience? Well let’s explore and compare the running experience/practice with the “yoga” experience/practice.

I began this beautiful day in awareness. As I laced up my shoes, fastened my timing chip and bib number an appreciation of the coolness, the bright sun and my breath streaming out of me in a thin white puff developed. As I took foot to road, one step at a time the energy awareness brought on by my senses moved within me – the sights, the ducks calling around mile eight (seemingly cheering us on), my fellow runners (some slow, some fast, some aware and engaged, some lost in their headsets, smiling, panting, concentrating…), the guy who kept me company the last seven miles, and most of all this amazing body I’ve been gifted with. It continues to be a source of amazement how everything seems to work together – the joints, muscles, bones, heart, internal organs, and most of all the breath… smooth, easy, powerfully peaceful – all of the body working together.

For me running has always been a meditative practice. Like the asana, I enjoy being alone with the ground (steady, sturdy, supportive) under my feet. I have learned the gift of presence, I run through mantra, breath, prayer looking to find steadiness and comfort in the middle of movement, searching for internal stillness. Hmmm this sounds like yoga. But let’s explore and the filter my running experience through Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga just to be sure.

1. Yamas- universal morality, my relationship with others
Well as I ran I greeted as many of my fellow runners with a pleasant, “good morning” offering cheer, encouragement, love and joy. I waved as passing cars, getting a few honks in response and occasionally a wave. I paused in Anjuli Mudra, bowing and extending Om Shante to a pair of crosses memorializing someone’s passing on the side of the road. It does surprise me how UNpresent people can be and I remember times when I too have been less than present. Many are so serious, driven by what’s ahead instead of enjoying what’s right now. As I greeted each soul, a sense of connectedness deepened compassion and love extended.

2. Niyamas- personal observances, my relationship with myself
Since today’s my birthday, I told as many people as I could. It felt good to be grateful, accepting, and at peace with my own age – not wishing to change anything about the past or the present, just being with all that the past forty nine years has formed me into. A spring in my step and a smile crossed my face each time I extended my own celebration of me outward to others. The energy of joy flowed within me.

3. Asana- physical poses in the practice
Well can running be the posture, the pose, the physical expression? A variety of physical sensations welled up within me at different times. The efforting and strain to move up a difficult hill, the ease of the flat road, the momentum of the downhill, the sensations in my hips, gluts and the bottoms of my feet – all of these were part of the physical experience as my body continually changed form to accommodate what I was asking of it. An awareness of comfort, discomfort, challenge, slowness, steadiness, external movement, internal stillness and unrest all became a part of my experience and the mind states I had to work within as I continued to propel forward. I know I have had all these experiences in a yoga class or at home alone with my own mat. Hmmm sounds, feels, expresses itself like yoga to me- runasana.

4. Pranayama- the breath, control of prana
Running brings forth the breath; it is felt deeply, loudly, forcefully at times. The prana is the energy force that comes more subtly to those that pay attention. So much life force energy flowing through me, yes I felt it, expressed it with gratitude with each moment of awareness. I allowed my yoga breathing- sometimes deep and full, sometimes fast and furious, but always in awareness. I found myself checking in often with my mind state or the physical sensations scanning for discomfort utilizing the powerful energy of the exhale to bring serenity. I had moments of pause, bringing to my mind state those still places in between the inhale and the exhale. When I could find them, I rested momentarily in them.

5. Pratyahara- control of the senses
I have to admit, I was enjoying the visual stimulation along the way – the fishermen in their boats in the gentle rippling of the river, the sun sparkling on the water, the ducks calling out, the cheers of the crowds, the shoes hitting the road, the conversations with my fellow runners… but I could go inside- surprising and enjoyable holding inner peace, prayers while engaging with my fellow runners when called upon. I was in awareness, moving back and forth from internal focus to externals compassion and cheer offering whatever was needed.

6. Dharana- concentration and cultivating inner personal perceptual awareness
Concentration- one foot in front of the other, continuous commitment to forward movement cultivated internally and manifested externally. I held concentration holistically to a single task, forward movement toward the finish line, completely engrossed in the experience of this forward movement whatever it brought.

7. Dhyana- devotion, meditation on the Divine
Yes the mantra of rosary moves within me as well as Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha , (Oh come quickly remover of all obstacles) and Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (Thy will be done, not mine). I love praying in this way, offering prayers for all my relationships, my fellow runners, myself, whatever comes to my mind. Challenges presented opportunities to ask for strength, calm, healthy being and acceptance of whatever comes. God is truly awesome. The bright light of God showered me with love and continued energy to move forward.

8. Samadhi- union with the Divine, to bring together, to merge
I feel pretty confident that I could not have had so much contentment especially in the final more difficult miles if I hadn’t been joined with God (unlike many of past marathons when I have been fully prepared following my training play flawlessly, this marathon had much less actual running practices with many cross training yoga practices). I’m not sure I achieved complete stillness, silence going beyond consciousness because I was in constant physical movement and I had complete awareness of this. I do know the “I’, “mine”, the ego self was not as demanding and willful. I was so present to my connectedness with not only God but all beings, there weas consciousness, truth and so much joy. I felt the “yogic union” with God, my surroundings, my fellow runners, the crowd… ALL.

Coming back to the original question, “Can running be a yoga practice?” I suppose I can only answer for myself in this experience on this day, in this place, and in this way. As I burst toward the final finish line, singing loudly, “Happy Birthday to Me,” spurred forward with a final sprint- joy, excitement, child like wonder, exhaustion, breath, awareness, relief, accomplishment, and union flooded through every cell of my being. In this practice I am absolutely in love with my life- I think… I’ll call this YOGA!

Yoga for Heart Conditions

According to Dr. McCall’s book, Yoga as Medicine, heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the modern world. Millions of people suffer from disease of heart and blood vessels, which are called cardiovascular diseases. The heart, considered the strongest muscle in the body facilitates circulation of blood throughout all parts of the body. The circulatory system also plays a vital role in nourishment of tissues.
There are a variety of contributors for cardiovascular diseases. Included in the more common contributors like poor diet, smoking, unhealthy levels of cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure other factors such as negative thinking, anger and hostility, a focus on achievement and a sense of urgency about time have also contributed to the stress placed on the heart. Other psychosocial factors such as job loss, marriage difficulties, and loneliness have also been attributed to difficulties in the heart. Recently inflammation and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gingivitis have been determined as another major contributor in heart disease.
It is important to have a healthy Circulatory System, making sure nothing obstructs the blood vessels and arteries which transport oxygen and other nutrients to the whole body. A consistent yoga practice can be beneficial to the Circulatory System because as a practice it deals with the body as a whole. Yoga can help assist in transporting oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body, assist in lowering blood pressure, and improve circulation, increase strength in the heart muscles as well as reduce stress. Samadhi can only be attained if there is harmony in the body, mind and spirit. Because of their effects on both the physical and energetic bodies, specific types of yoga postures can be used to control and prevent heart disease.
Following is a list of additional asana practices that encourage opening in the chest to improve heart function and respiration
• Simple Supported Backbend (restorative) antidote to habitual posture of rounding forward, reducing stress and blood pressure with bolster under upper back and roll under the neck
• Trikonasana (triangle pose)- promote cardiovascular health, breathing and stability
• Padmasana (lotus pose or half lotus) – for meditation and quieting the mind – an alternative for beginners would be Sukhasana (easy pose)
• Tadasana (Tree pose)- strengthen thighs, calves, ankles and back. Increases flexibility in hips an groin. Improves balance and concentration, quieting the mind.
• Yoga Nidra (yoga conscious sleep) – encourages calmness, quietness and clarity in the mind.