In yesterday’s post Running as an Antidote for Anxiety and Depression, I told you about why I love running and how it has transformed my life.
One aspect that I didn’t tell you about is how running not only helps with my anxiety and depression, but it’s a great activity for my prayer life. I spend a lot of time in prayer during my runs, as well as listening to music sporadically throughout the run. Something I’ve also enjoyed doing is listening to the Bible on You Version’s audio features. It’s amazing what I have read a thousand times in print, but it still comes to life in a new way when I hear it.
I’m telling you all of this because I came across an article by Sid Garza Hillman on How to Turn Your Run Into a Meditation.
I would encourage you to try running without music for some runs or part of some runs (I blogged about this practice a few years ago Why You Should Try Running Without Music) — and in place of your music, try focusing on being present on your run (paying attention to your body, sounds, pain, pleasure, etc.) as well as using the time to focus on prayer. There are many different meditative practices you can do on a run, but I’ve really grown a lot by combining running and prayer.
