Running The Spiritual Path – TALON Running Book
By David Hanenburg on 17 Aug 2010 at 9:13 pm | Tagged as: running books
Spiritual Practice/Meditation/Prayer
Running
When two become one.
I recently finished reading a book by Texas runner, Roger Joslin, called Running the Spiritual Path: A Runner’s Guide to Breathing, Meditating, and Exploring the Prayerful Dimension of the Sport. Within it, Roger shares his personal journey and experiences of blending two individual activities that are meaningful in his life, the physical act of running and his spiritual practice.
As ultrarunners, the melding of the physical, mental, and spiritual is not a far-fetched concept and in fact may be a familiar home for many of us. A few examples quickly come to mind:
- Focusing on a single thought or image such as family or the cold beer waiting at the finish.
- Repeating a preferred personal mantra/phrase.
- Focused attention on the act of movement – one foot in front of the other.
- Saying “goo shob” to fellow runners and “Thank you” to volunteers.
Throughout the book, Roger shares a wide range of life experiences and thoughts on topics that include, quieting the mind, running with awareness, aids to mindfulness (breath and mantras), and a collage of other spiritual concepts explored within the world of running.
While the various spiritual practices shared are not new ideas, using the run as a means to intentionally practice them is likely not that common. Running the Spiritual Path provides a guide for those interested in this personal exploration.
Be active – Feel the buzz!
David – EnduranceBuzz.com
About the author
David Hanenburg is the passionate dirt-lovin' creator of Endurance Buzz and has been playing in the endurance sports world since 2000 after knockin' the dust off of his Trek 950 hardtail thanks to a friend asking to go ride some local dirt. In 2007 he ran his first ultra on the trails and fell in love with the sport and its people. For more information on David's endurance sports journey, check out the About page.
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