Like a huge pile of scattered papers...
This morning I woke up feeling quite scattered, on the verge of overwhelm. I knew that meditation could help, but my inner negative voice was too loud and distracting for that to get off the ground. People were are already up in the house so I figured that creating space for yoga would probably not come to much either.
As I lay in bed, the peculiar energy coarsing through me and threatening to overcome, I put on my gym clothes and prepared for a run. Looking out the window dark black clouds were looming, then I realised that what does it matter if I got wet, clothes and hair quickly dry and my skin is the best waterproof in the entire world!
And so off I went.
Pounding down on the bridal track and my thoughts started jumping, shifting, jiggling- feeling even more scattered and then they were before.
But I kept going.
But as I continued to run and my breath settled and the rhythm picked up, my thoughts created a rhythm of their own.
It was like collecting up a huge pile of scatted papers, when you reach out and gather them into your hands, clasping the pile at both ends and tapping them on your desk to shuffle them into a neat pile. That's literally how my mind felt.
Pound, pound, pound. Tap, tap, tap.
Everything fell into place, all the tiny steps I needed to take to align my scattered thoughts and emotions. It became clear that there were lots of small things to quickly tick off and free up each huge space for the rest of my day.
I rounded the corner at the top of the track, now bearing down on to tarmac marking the return back home. The clouds opened and the rain lightly patted down, tickling my face and the bushes nearby, tinkling lightly on the surfaces as I ran.
Washing away the excess. Cleansing my mind. Creating the space I needed.
Running...
This morning I went for my first run in many many months. It felt so good, and not just because the sun was shining and spring was doing it's thing!
I posted on Facebook yesterday that I have been struggling a little bit with grounding myself and finding routine within the inconsistency of my life since I have been doing quite a bit of travelling and my fitness and nutritional routines have suffered. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed and anxious if I don't feel as though I am on top of things, and lack of grounding is a big trigger for this. It got me thinking of solutions and that led to an idea for a morning routine challenge, which you'll have seen if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram.
...couldn't find a photo of me running... so my brother running on a beach in winter a couple of years back is the best I have ;-)
Running is something i've always had an inconsistent relationship with, I tend to run when training for an event (I like taking part in OCR's), but not much otherwise. It's something I tell myself I will do 'if it takes my fancy' and so then I go through patches when I do and then when I don't for many months.
I was totally cool with this arrangement until this morning. Today as I ran I realised how deeply connected I felt, my head and my heart were in total alignment. I've never noticed this before as I don't think I've had this level of awareness around my life until recently.
For me, running is probably the most deeply grounding activity I could do. It's a full on multi-sensory immersion, falling into rhythm with the earth around me. When I run, I zone out and my thoughts take over, simply ebbing and flowing with no judgement and no attachment as I pound through the fields and the tracks. Active mediation.
I FEEL the ground beneath my feet and the air rushing into my lungs
I SEE the world around me, the tiny details as I pass and the bigger picture all in one 360 vision.
I HEAR the sounds of nature and the breath creating a backdrop in time with the rhythm of my feet
I SMELL the farm yards, the fumes, the flowers, the dry heat or the smell of the ground after a heavy rain (called 'petrichor' for word geeks like me)
My body moves in an optimum rhythm created without even thinking... the feet pounding, my arms pumping, my breath and my lungs flowing all in time.
Then comes the awesome moment when you decide to go for a sprint.... the world collapses inward just a little as you focus you mind and your sight on the 'finish' line. You take off and your legs loose feeling, you are running as if in a cloud, strides becoming longer and longer... literally leaping through the air. Then slowing, slowing, allowing thoughts to filer back through and the base rhythm to take over once again.
Running is back on my agenda.
I realised this morning that days I feel least like running, are probably the days I most need to.
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I am a designer, personal empowerment coach and writer from the UK. I work with health and wellness businesses to bring their mission and purpose to the world. I also help people become the best version of themselves in mind and body.
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