All posts tagged: running with the mind of meditation

Why Meditation and Yoga for Runners & Hikers?

Published by DMCBlog

“I drove myself with an unconscious motivation of fear. Afraid that I am not special unless I prove I am special.” ~Marty Kibiloski In our upcoming Labor Day Weekend program, Meditation and Yoga for Runners & Hikers (formerly Running with the Mind of Meditation), you’ll learn how to enjoy the journey — not just the finish line. “The people that, I think, are drawn to running are used to hard work and pushing themselves and tend to be goal-setters,” says Marty. “We start to compare ourselves to other people.” This is where mindfulness, which employs the same principles used in yoga and meditation, comes in. Mindfulness is the basic ability to be fully present. It’s a mental state achieved by calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations without judgment. There are sound evolutionary reasons why running and walking have surged in popularity in the new millennium to become the exercise of choice for reducing stress, bringing us greater perspective, and connecting us directly to the wisdom of the body. The practices of …

What does Meditation have to do with Running?

Published by dmcblog

by: Michael Sandrock One of the special spots in Colorado — and there are many! — is the Drala Mountain Center northwest of Fort Collins, near Red Feather Lakes. It is 600 acres of aspen and pine-laden hillsides nestled next to national forest land. There are endless trails and dirt roads to run nearby, as well as a variety of retreats to attend, including Labor Day weekend’s “Running with the Mind of Meditation and Yoga,” (now titled Meditation and Yoga for Runners & Hikers) which I first went to 15 years ago. That first exposure to meditation and mindfulness was transformational, and so, like many others, I watched updates last year when the Cameron Peak Fire swept through the area, burning more than a dozen buildings on the center’s land on its way to becoming the first Colorado wildfire to burn over 200,000 acres. Saved from destruction was the iconic Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing, a must-see Colorado visit, and which can indeed, for the person who is ready, spur liberation. (As …

Joining Meditation and Movement: East meets West on the Path to a Joyful Life

Published by dmcblog

by Michael Sandrock // One day, somewhere around the start of the 5th Century B.C., a wandering forest ascetic named Siddhartha Gautama sat down beneath the Bodhi Tree, vowing not to leave his seat until he had achieved enlightenment. This he did. Meanwhile, at just about the same time, Darius the Great, the Persian King of Kings, vowed to crush the freedom-loving Greek city-states, especially Athens. His campaign of subjugation ended on the plains of Marathon, where the vastly outnumbered Athenians defeated the previously undefeated Persian army, gathered from throughout the empire, from Asia, to Egypt and Sudan and beyond. These two contemporary events, separated by about 3500 miles, and not many years, are, it can be said without hyperbole, two of the most important events in human history. One showed the way to freedom from suffering; the other, the way to freedom from tyranny. Now, during the Shambhala Mountain Center’s Labor Day weekend retreat, “Running with the Mind of Meditation & Yoga”, the two strains represented by Siddhartha beneath the Bodhi tree and the …

Wisdom from Running and Meditation: Four Tips for Living Your Happiest

Published by dmcblog

By Michael Sandrock // When Jon Pratt led a meditation, yoga, and running retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center a few years back, he made a simple point that resonated with some of us newcomers to meditation: that there is not a right or wrong way to meditate. “It is simply noticing.” That is how Marty Kibiloski describes what he learned from Pratt and others in his journey from highly successful businessman (yet dissatisfied, inattentive husband and father) to highly successful businessman (and happy, satisfied husband, father and friend). We often learn from society that we need to work hard in a job we do not like, in order to make a living. Satisfaction and happiness will come later, we are told, once we retire. But we do worry, consciously and unconsciously, wondering how to find calmness, peace and tranquility. However, it is possible, explains Kibiloski (@martykibiloski), to have high success and high satisfaction. The key is focusing on your effort and not the outcome, whether it be the amount of money you make, how …

The Benefits of Meditation for Runners

Published by dmcblog

By Michael Sandrock Learning to respond rather than react is a valuable skill for athletes and people in general. Below, we look at three stories from competitive runners that illustrate the importance of this skill, which can be cultivated through meditation. Clare Gallagher was a top prep runner at Cherry Creek High School near Denver, but her collegiate career did not go as well. In her junior year of college, she joined the Princeton Student Buddhist Club because, she says, she “was curious about meditation and had all but stopped all Catholic traditions and prayers that I grew up with. I felt a spiritual void and Buddhism called out to me.” Weekends without a track or cross country meet, she would go on silent meditation retreats, and that practice changed her life. What did Gallagher learn? That “reacting to situations is usually a waste of time and energy. In turn, responding to situations is usually productive, as it requires introspection and thought. I am a reactionary person by nature, but meditation has taught me to chill …

Discussing Running and Meditation with Cynthia MacKay (Video/Audio)

Published by dmcblog

Shambhala Mountain Center hosts Running with the Mind of Meditation with Cynthia MacKay, Marty Kibiloski and Tarah Cech, August 29–September 1, 2014. Cynthia MacKay leads popular retreats based on Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s best-selling book, Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training the Body and the Mind. Geared for runners, walkers, and other athletes, the book offers fresh insights into the activities of meditation and movement, and the ways our running experience can be dramatically enhanced by working with the principles of meditation. In this interview, Cynthia shares some wisdom she’s gained from being swift on her feet and stable in her mind. Watch below, or scroll down to stream/download the audio. If you’d like to download the audio file, CLICK HERE and find the “Download” button. Otherwise, you can stream the audio below. ~~~ Cynthia MacKay has been a student of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche for over 20 years. Inspired by her teacher’s running, Cynthia has completed eight marathons of her own, from Casablanca to San Francisco. She lives in Los Angeles where she …

The Lady Who Runs

Published by dmcblog

By Cynthia MacKay Cynthia MacKay will be leading a retreat at SMC from August 30-September 2 based on Sakyong Mipham’s book ,“Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training the Body and the Mind.” Geared for runners, walkers and athletes, this program will offer fresh insights into the activities of meditation and movement. All levels of runners and walkers welcome. In my neighborhood, there’s The Corn Guy, The Lady With the Boxers, The Couple Who Live in the Victorian and The Korean Grocer. I am The Lady Who Runs. My neighborhood in east LA is called Lincoln Heights. It sits in the shadow of Dodger Stadium, just north of Downtown. People don’t think of Los Angeles as a good place to hill train, run trails and stay off the paved streets but Lincoln Heights is just that. I can run in any of the four directions and have a very different feeling from each run. North On Saturdays, I head north. Saturdays are my long runs and from my house I can get 18 …