Running (or any exercise, really) can be wonderfully meditative.
I started running the summer I lived in South Korea. I'd had a pretty rough year my first year of grad school (due to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, a friend going missing, and other calamities) and by the time I finished the year was determined to spend some time getting more fit and allowing my mind and emotions to recuperate. My older brother has always been a runner, so he spent some time coaching me and by the end of the summer I was able to run a couple of miles in good time. That summer was the first time that I was intentional about minding my mental and physical health, and I learned so much about the movements that serve me the best.
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| Before last year's Downhill Mile race on the 4th of July |
Now I try to get out to run at least once a week, and exercise in some way at least three times per week. It's important to my mental and physical health, especially during stressful times.
What movements do you find soothing? Any fellow runners out there?
