In the last year I’ve become interested in running and meditation. Having recently read the book “Running With the Mind of Meditation” by Sakyong Mipham in which the author draws several parallels between running and meditation piqued my interest even more. Looking for the next step to take in exploring running and meditation, it was serendipitous that I was given the opportunity to experience a new album. Running Deep is an album with guided meditation for runners. As a meditation newbie I was a bit overwhelmed at first but as I continued to listen I quickly became comfortable. The guided meditations are by various artists including two by Danny Dreyer, the co-founder of ChiRunning and ChiWalking. A goal of mine is to attend a Chi Running workshop but it just hasn’t worked out with my calendar just yet so it is nice to be able to listen to two of his meditations on this album. His “Five Senses Running Meditation” is quite unique in that it guides the runner to get in touch with all five senses during a run. In spite of feeling hyper aware of some of my senses while running I had never paid attention to all five of my senses during a run before. This meditation does a good job of talking you through being mindful of the five senses during your run; thinking about “taste” while running will never be the same. While some of the meditations on the album are ideal to listen to while running, others are meant to be listened to when you are not running. One of my favorites is “One With Everything” by Linda Hall. It really captures how I feel about being out in nature and more specifically trail running. It is very positive and compliments the positive self talk that I believe is so important in running and in our every day lives. There is a good variety of guided meditations, so there is something for every interested runner. There is an option to enjoy a free mini-album by providing your name and email address on the website, if you’re not ready to experience the complete album just yet. As for me, I’m hoping to listen to some of the guided meditations more during some of my runs but also continue to benefit from the visualizations that are part of the album. I think it would be good for me to listen to some pre-race as a way to stay relaxed on race day. Give it a listen and let me know how it works for you, both in running and in life.
Running Deep – Guided Meditations For Runners
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, however I did receive a copy of the album to review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.