Can running develop your spirituality?
Meditation involves the silencing of the mind and a focusing of our awareness inward. In this quietude, one can calmly observe the thought patterns and slowly diminish them, resulting in a balanced and less stressful life and the discovery of a deeper part of our nature. Formal meditation is usually practised in a quiet place where there is little chance of being disturbed; sitting still with the eyes either closed, or open and focused on an object. This is the easiest way to meditate, especially for beginners. But with practise, it becomes possible to meditate even while physically active.
Runners find that in order to keep themselves focused enough to finish a race or meet training goals, they must learn to diminish the mind's activity and try and feel a detachment from the stresses of the body. Runners often find themselves tapping into "the zone" - an inner source of inspiration which is able to help the runner complete their journey. Runners, artists, musicians and mystics all share in one way or another this experience of entering into "the zone".
Sitting meditation can allow one to feel a sense of freedom which comes from a diminished perception of the limitations of the body- as one withdraws from its pains and impulses in favour of a subtler and lighter feeling of vastness and the experience of expanded consciousness.
Running, on the other hand, makes one immediately aware of the body. The body is being pushed along by the force of willpower and coming up against numerous obstacles - the feeling of being puffed out, sore muscles, tiredness and the struggle against natural inertia. But by observing these problems with an air of detachment and a still mind, running can itself become a form of meditation. We can realise that we have a calm centre that remains unaffected no matter what our body is feeling.
It is common these days for people to act according to a misconception that we can have satisfaction simply given to us without any effort of our own. Perhaps this is a symptom of a consumer culture in which we are used to fast food, instant coffee and the capacity to quickly and conveniently fulfill numerous desires, so that we end up thinking we can get happiness from a bottle, pill or machine. But there is another school of thought which says that we get satisfaction from facing and overcoming challenges. There is much joy to be had in running and even after a very challenging athletic event I have often felt invigorated and inwardly joyful.
Many people might not think that an event such as a marathon or a 10km run is a spiritual event. But when I am standing with several hundred other runners at the start of a big race I feel the atmosphere electrified, surcharged with a very special energy. This is because every committed runner in the field is about to transcend themselves - they have had some unique inspiration to utilise their capacities in order to push beyond the norm. After the race, when I have been pushing hard to run fast, I often feel that a special force and light from the cosmos has descended into my mind and body. The inner joy of such an experience is reminiscent of the light one absorbs during meditation. This is but a minute taste of what we are all capable of experiencing when we are more fully in touch with and receptive to the cosmic forces.
I believe that just the act of running can in itself inspire another to run, because we are all interconnected in surprising ways. Each time someone pushes the boundaries in art, music, athletics or meditation the whole human race evolves. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team offers something very unique to the world in linking sports and spiritual development. Through my involvement with both running in and helping to organise Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team events, I have felt that there is something very unique about these running events because their primary focus is to provide an opportunity for everybody - irrespective of talent - to explore the physical and spiritual capacities in a fun way.
I believe that when we approach running in the right way, we can become more in touch with what I call spirit - that inner consciousness which we all know exists but which science can't adequately explain in terms of atomic and molecular properties. Our spirit is that part of us that idealises our goals, works towards them and finally realises them - before proceeding to higher further goals. In the seeking after happiness which characterises all human lives, there is an underlying aspiration for transcendence - becoming better, happier and more in tune with what is real. Spiritual masters like Sri Chinmoy teach that in our pursuit of small goals, we are consciously or unconsciously yearning towards an ultimate Goal. Whatever we call it - Happiness, Love, God, Truth, Oneness - we are all running towards this Goal on the road of life.