Moving Meditation

   I recently started yoga teacher training. For those who know me, it is no secret that I think yoga is one of the most powerful training tools for running. Running for me can be a moving meditation when I am moving intentionally (on a good day!). Every step is a moment in time and anticipating the future can lead to dread and possibly a sprained ankle or nasty spill if you are on technical trails. That goes back to my blog posts about intention below.


  Yoga has also brought a lightness to my running. In many poses, there is a goal of creating a lightness in your hips and through your ribs. Today I saw a man running, who was moving so effortlessly he looked as though he was floating off his hips. I was suddenly hit with an awareness about Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog). Who knew this pose you do probably every time you go to yoga class could mean so much for your running form? My yoga teachers, Hilly Flora and Ben Heath - Nadi Yogi, taught me a little trick yesterday that lead to this new awareness. Try it now (even if you are at work!). From all fours tuck your toes and then push back into downward facing dog. Once you are there, tuck your chin and look at your navel while still keeping a flat back. Feel that lift through your lower stomach into your chest. Then let your head and neck relax and feel the lightness through your ribs. Next time you are running bring that same awareness to your form. A ever so slight bend at the waste draws your pelvic floor up creating a lightness over your hips up into your ribs (If you don't know what I mean about a slight bend in your waste YouTube Kenyan runners). This allows for a deeper breath (with a SLIGHT tuck of the chin), and prevents you from sinking into your hips. This is very different from the chest out over your feet approach that you hear a lot. Most people who have been running competitively since they were kids will do what I have mentioned about naturally, so they are not quite sure why they are leaning forward slightly. That leads to the "lean your chest forward" instruction. However that often leads people to stick out their butt creating a sway in the back. This cuts off all the power from your core by dumping your pelvic floor forward. Cultivating that core power is what makes you light on your hips. You will also hear and read a lot about landing on your forefoot. Focusing on landing on your forefoot or mid-foot is simply a means to an end. Really if you create that space through your core you will either land and push off your forefoot if that is how you are built structurally or you will be balanced and drive through your core without landing on your forefoot. Either is equally "right" for you.
  I am not much on coaching running form because like in yoga every pose is different for every body, but I think there are key points of intention. Brining these intentions to your running form may enhance your running and create a lightness of movement and mind.