Still Running by Vanessa Zuisei Goddard

Author:Vanessa Zuisei Goddard [Goddard, Vanessa Zuisei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2020-08-11T00:00:00+00:00

The reverse is also true. To give relief to the mind, give relief to the body. When the body is at peace, the mind is not distressed.

In the Satipatthana Sutta the Buddha says, “A practitioner trains himself, ‘Breathing in, I experience the whole body. Breathing out, I experience the whole body. Breathing in, I calm the bodily formation. Breathing out, I calm the bodily formation.’ ”

“Experiencing the whole body” can refer to feeling the breath throughout the whole body or to experiencing the breath itself as a body. Inhale, pause, exhale, pause—one body of breath. The instruction to “calm the bodily formation” through the use of breath we all know well. “Breathe,” we tell ourselves and each other when we are stressed. The Buddha counsels us to use the breath to calm the body and later on in the sutra, to calm the mind.

During running, mindfulness of breathing will develop your concentration so your mind is quiet and steady. It will increase the fluidity of your movement and help you deal with pain when it arises. And it will encourage you to keep refining right effort so you’re not working harder than you need to. Think of the breath as the bridge between body and mind. When your breath is still and even, your body and mind will be steady. When your breath is choppy or laborious, your body and mind will also suffer.

Given this, let’s look at the basics of breath so we can use mindfulness of breathing as the fulcrum on which the practice of still running turns.

Abdominal Breathing

Sit upright in a relaxed, comfortable position. Take a moment now to feel your breath. Notice where you feel it most readily: in your abdomen, your chest, your throat? Is your breath short or long, deep or shallow? Does it catch as you inhale, or is it smooth and continuous? Can you pinpoint the moment when either inhale or exhale begins? How about when it ends? Are you aware of the space between the inhalation and exhalation, as well as the space between breaths? Can you feel the rest of your body as you breathe? Do you feel relaxed or tense? Does shifting your posture help you to breathe more easily?

To determine whether you’re breathing fully, stand in front of a mirror or ask someone to look at you. Take a few deep, even breaths. Do your shoulders hike up toward your ears? Do your chest or throat feel tight? Do you feel that you can’t take a full breath?

Many of us breathe with our chest, using the intercostal muscles that nestle between the ribs, instead of with our abdomen. But these are secondary breathing muscles. They are not designed to carry the load of full respiration. Full breathing is the work of the diaphragm, which acts as a bellows that causes the abdomen to expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale. This motion maximizes the intake of oxygen, which our muscles need to function well.

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