Bring Ritual into Your Life through Running or Walking

By Danny Dreyer
January/February 2008
For the Washington Running Report

rit*u*al noun.

a) A ceremonial act or a series of such acts.
b) The prescribed or customary form for conducting a religious or other solemn ceremony

I would venture to guess that one of the things that is plaguing us as a people today is a lack of depth in our lives. It is certainly something I crave; yet it is one of the most illusive things in my life. All of the prominent spiritual groups throughout history have encouraged using the power of ritual in one's life. The reason? Performing daily activities with thoughtfulness and an awareness of how they can affect your life is the first step toward creating a meaningful life . . . one with depth.

One of the daily events in your life that can fall under the realm of ritual is your fitness program, in this case, running or walking. Holding each of these disciplines in high regard is essential to elevating them to a higher level of importance in your life.

If you go into your workouts with the idea in mind that you're just putting in time so that you can maintain good health, you could be cutting yourself short of all that is available if you were to approach the same exercise routine more thoughtfully. Doing your exercise in an automatic and mechanical way will probably keep you in good physical shape. But it is likely that all the benefits of your exercise program will be limited to the physical level of your life . . . your body.

On the other hand, if you can bring to bear all your focus, attention, passion, and thoughtfulness into a run or walk, you elevate the act of exercise to a new level, which can nourish your heart and mind--even your soul, and will get you healthier in many ways.

Life lacks meaning unless we give it meaning. Make your daily fitness regimen a ritual by approaching it with a mix of intention and curiosity. You might be intent on running or walking for 45 minutes to get a good aerobic workout, and at the same time you can be open to what else is available. For example you can watch how your body responds to keeping better posture. Or, you can focus on how it feels to rotate your pelvis and relax your legs. When you are trying something new, curiosity opens your mind and your body to new possibilities. But, one thing you can be assured of--any activity you do with a high level of presence and awareness will always reveal something new about yourself. That is food for growth, the kind of growth that can happen for as long as you breathe. Ritual comes to play when you engage your exercise on as many levels as possible.

Here is an example of how I add ritual to my daily program. I begin by waking up each day and lying in bed quietly before sitting up. I give myself a few minutes to Body Sense and slowly come out of sleep. This gives my brain time to transition from being in a dream state to being in a waking state. I try to not let my mind get carried away with the day that lies ahead. Instead, I sit up for a minute or two and drop my energy into my body. Even though my brain may be slow to move, my body has all kinds of energy in it. Sitting for a brief time, before jumping out of bed, allows my body to get used to the idea of being vertical. Then I get up and go to the bathroom to splash water on my face. It is the distinct dividing line between sleep and waking. This is like my own version of a cup of coffee. It is the official christening of the day and as I wash my face I imagine that I am starting my day with a clean slate and that all my needless concerns and worries are washed away down the drain along with the water. I do this intentionally every morning; it is my ritual to starting the day and preparing for my workout.

The next part of my ritual is to drink a glass of water and do my body looseners before heading out for my walk or run. Doing these exercises helps me transition my body into movement. I am moving my joints to loosen them, but I am not going anywhere. During this process I focus my mind on listening to my body, noticing where I am stiff or holding tension.

When I am done with my looseners, I begin to walk (whether I am doing a walk or run that day) at a slow strolling pace. During the first 10 minutes of my walk or run I spend time setting up my focuses for that day's exercise and then I set my countdown timer (usually for 10 minute intervals) to remind me to do my focuses and check back in with my body alignment. I continue this pattern until the end of the session, at which time I return to a slow strolling pace to recover and settle in before moving on to my next activity.

After about three minutes of walking, I begin to do my stretches, being mindful to keep them slow and easy. While I am doing my stretches, I look back on my workout to see if there is anything I learned or would like to write down in my journal. I can feel the benefit of having exercised and almost always notice how good and positive I feel after working out. If I do not look back and do an end-of-workout review, I might miss a valuable lesson or a good piece of information about my walking or running, or about my life. I also take the time to appreciate being out in nature and breathing fresh air and feeling alive.

Moving through all of these steps each morning has become a daily ritual that feeds my body (by giving it physical exercise), my heart (by refreshing my love of life), my mind (by requiring me to focus in specific ways), and my soul (by allowing me to begin my day feeling centered, relaxed, and open).

When you approach your daily exercise in a mindful way, your life (and your exercise) becomes a practice and not just a routine. It takes on a level of depth that comes from addressing all of the different levels of your life and you can begin to sense that you are not just trying to keep up with your life; you are the one in the driver's seat, directing, enjoying it, and learning something new every day.