{"id":50,"date":"2015-03-19T19:20:57","date_gmt":"2015-03-19T19:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/?p=50"},"modified":"2015-03-29T12:20:45","modified_gmt":"2015-03-29T19:20:45","slug":"mindful-exercise-walking-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Your Power Walk a Mindful Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Maintaining<\/a>

Mindful Walking and Running<\/p><\/div>\n

Mindfulness is Not Confined to Meditation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The basic idea of mindfulness in\u00a0exercise is the same as in meditation. Just pay close attention to what you\u2019re doing moment by moment. And when your attention drifts, bring it back to the present. As with meditation<\/span><\/a>, it helps to use some aids to keep your mind focused.<\/p>\n

When I was 32 and very out of shape I joined an early morning men\u2019s volleyball group that met at a local high school gym. We were all guys who wanted to get in some exercise before work. Some of them ran on the track after the volleyball games. One day I decided join them and to my great surprise I couldn’t\u00a0make it one time around the quarter mile track without stopping to rest. When I began to run all I could think about was how difficult it was, how out of\u00a0breath I felt.\u00a0There was no joy, I just wanted to be finished.<\/p>\n

Focus on the Breath<\/h3>\n

But I continued to try. After struggling like this for a few weeks I hit upon the idea of linking my breaths to my steps. I began linking my exhalations to every third\u00a0step. One, two exhale, one, two exhale\u00a0over and over as I ran. This seemed to calm my mind and organize my chaotic breathing. It\u2019s a\u00a0similar technique to counting your breath in meditation. It focuses your mind and calms you down.<\/p>\n

When breathing out on every third\u00a0step your exhalations alternate between the left and right foot. It feels nice and symmetrical. When the rhythm of my steps and my breathing were linked, running seemed much easier. The sound of my foot falls and the rhythm of my breath became unified and had a calming effect on my mind.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness in Motion<\/h3>\n

I had\u00a0a feeling of all my parts working together. The feeling of chaos and struggle was gone. I doubt I would have continued running had I not discovered\u00a0this technique. After a few months I progressed\u00a0to eight times around the track each morning and switched to running around the neighborhood instead.<\/p>\n

Today my mindful exercise is walking, but I use the breath in the same way. Walking this way, I feel like I am inside my own energy bubble, paying acute attention to my breath, body and the pace of my exercise. I have less interest in thinking about other things. I fall into a mild trance, enjoying the rhythm of my walking, the crunch of my shoes on the ground and the sound of my breathing. When thoughts begin to intrude I can easily bring my attention back to my walking. Sometimes it becomes a sort of walking meditation.<\/p>\n

Once you get good at this you begin to look forward to each day\u2019s walk or run \u2013it becomes your own private period of solitude and contemplation. I prefer to walk alone most of the time, and to walk without listening to music on my headphones.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll close with a quote\u00a0I like about running from Ozzie Gontang, Ph.D. (His blog is called \u201cMindfulness \u2013 Your Present Moment<\/a>.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\u201cObserve your environs. Listen to your body and all the sounds it makes and all the feelings that come with muscles working. No iPod or anything in my ears. Become a ninja running or stealth runner. Go for the grace. Identify thoughts as thoughts and let them go. Identify emotional feelings as feelings and let them go.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mindfulness is Not Confined to Meditation The basic idea of mindfulness in\u00a0exercise is the same as in meditation. Just pay close attention to what you\u2019re doing moment by moment. And when your attention drifts, bring it back to the present. As with meditation, it helps to use some aids to keep your mind focused. When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaintaining Mindfulness While Walking and Running<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mindfulness based walking or running helps develops mindful living. No headphones and music in your ear. Practice focusing on your breath to calm the mind.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maintaining Mindfulness While Walking and Running\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mindfulness based walking or running helps develops mindful living. No headphones and music in your ear. Practice focusing on your breath to calm the mind.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"20-Minute Vacation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-03-19T19:20:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-03-29T19:20:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"761\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gary Buzzard\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/\",\"name\":\"20-Minute Vacation\",\"description\":\"Relax with Us\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":761,\"caption\":\"Your own private period of solitude and contemplation.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/\",\"name\":\"Maintaining Mindfulness While Walking and Running\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-03-19T19:20:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-03-29T19:20:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86bd501da447c3558a0bfe5fa76c6236\"},\"description\":\"Mindfulness based walking or running helps develops mindful living. No headphones and music in your ear. Practice focusing on your breath to calm the mind.\\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"How to Make Your Power Walk a Mindful Meditation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86bd501da447c3558a0bfe5fa76c6236\",\"name\":\"Gary Buzzard\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/GaryAvatar-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/GaryAvatar-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Gary Buzzard\"},\"description\":\"A former corporate exhibit manager and massage therapist, Gary lives in San Francisco with his wife, Marina. He relaxes with long distance walking, T\\u2019ai Chi, meditation, cooking and enjoying all that life has to offer. He founded 20-Minute Vacation in 1994. Things he\\u2019s most thankful for include \\u201cgood health, two grown kids who still love me, a wonderful wife and living on a hill in the most beautiful city in the world.\\u201d\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\"],\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/author\/gary-buzzard\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maintaining Mindfulness While Walking and Running","description":"Mindfulness based walking or running helps develops mindful living. No headphones and music in your ear. Practice focusing on your breath to calm the mind.\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maintaining Mindfulness While Walking and Running","og_description":"Mindfulness based walking or running helps develops mindful living. No headphones and music in your ear. Practice focusing on your breath to calm the mind.\u201d","og_url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/","og_site_name":"20-Minute Vacation","article_published_time":"2015-03-19T19:20:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-03-29T19:20:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":761,"url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg","path":"\/home\/n0minu7\/public_html\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg","size":"full","id":522,"alt":"","pixels":761000,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gary Buzzard","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/","name":"20-Minute Vacation","description":"Relax with Us","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/shutterstock_173045465.jpg","width":1000,"height":761,"caption":"Your own private period of solitude and contemplation."},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#webpage","url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/","name":"Maintaining Mindfulness While Walking and Running","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2015-03-19T19:20:57+00:00","dateModified":"2015-03-29T19:20:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86bd501da447c3558a0bfe5fa76c6236"},"description":"Mindfulness based walking or running helps develops mindful living. No headphones and music in your ear. Practice focusing on your breath to calm the mind.\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/mindful-exercise-walking-running\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"How to Make Your Power Walk a Mindful Meditation"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/86bd501da447c3558a0bfe5fa76c6236","name":"Gary Buzzard","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/GaryAvatar-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/GaryAvatar-150x150.jpg","caption":"Gary Buzzard"},"description":"A former corporate exhibit manager and massage therapist, Gary lives in San Francisco with his wife, Marina. He relaxes with long distance walking, T\u2019ai Chi, meditation, cooking and enjoying all that life has to offer. He founded 20-Minute Vacation in 1994. Things he\u2019s most thankful for include \u201cgood health, two grown kids who still love me, a wonderful wife and living on a hill in the most beautiful city in the world.\u201d","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com"],"url":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/author\/gary-buzzard\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":678,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions\/678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.20-minutevacation.com\/20mv-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}