A Buddhist monk and I walk into a bar...

After stalking a local Buddhist center near my home on the internet for the past six months, I finally decided to actually go and participate in a meditation. No I'm not a Buddhist but I was raised in a spiritual home. Meditation and chanting are all normal to me so I wasn't green to the environment when I arrived. I remember reading about Buddhism when I was ten years old and having such a deep fascination for it. Of course as I got older and became a teenager I switched meditating for going to the mall. Priorities. As I got older I moved away from my spiritual upbringing to explore other religious and ideals. All I knew was spirituality and wondered if this was really the right fit for my life. Though there were many things that I thought were interesting and romantic about other religions, I never felt a connection with any one in particular. I was looking for something to connect to, something that I could feel comfortable in.

Since getting on a healthy track and really taking care of my body I realized that I also need to take care of my mind and my spirit. I am striving to be a whole, happy person and I can't do that if I neglect the other two aspects of my being. I kept saying that I would get back to meditating but I didn't have time for it. There's a funny saying that goes:


You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you're too busy then it should be an hour." -Old Zen saying

I kept putting it off time and again. I could make time to run abut I couldn't make time to sit and just be quiet. I figured that I needed some external assistance to get my spiritual life on track. Within the past couple of years I have been going back to that interest I had in Buddhism. I figured that before I go to any meditations or practices that I should educated myself on the background. So I read books, I watched documentaries and I found a center close to my house. But once again I came up with excuses. Sometimes stepping outside of my comfort zone can be a bit frightening. 

I'm sure many of you have been there. Maybe you wanted to introduce yourself to someone but were afraid you would get rejected. Maybe you wanted to ask for a promotion but were scared your boss would say no and fire you. So you did nothing and you said nothing. Well the same goes for me. But since I've started running I have found this stream of confidence running through me and every time I step outside of that comfort zone wonderful things happen.

So last week I finally participated in a Heart Sutra practice and Calm Abiding mediation. At first I felt awkward because I did not know the chants. But fortunately for me the chants were written in a way that was easy to follow and recite. The people in the center were helpful and kind and able to answer any questions I had. I felt right at home the very first day. And I have even noticed a change in my running. I don't flip through random thoughts like a Rolodex when I'm running. My mind is a bit clearer and more at ease.

This is week two of my practices and I am working on trying to incorporate meditation at home. I've only been able to meditate twice and each time really helped to calm me down and set the tone for the day. So it's still too early to tell just how much this will help my running but it's already helped me feel more centered and connected to becoming a more whole and fully present ME.