Years ago when I started going to the gym I, like many others who go, looked for ways that would ensure my commitment remained solid and intact. Initially I focused on areas of my body that I wanted to improve in one way or another and that helped. The problem with this though, is that when I reached my goal if that was my only driving force, I knew I’d lose interest and turn into yet another temporary gym enthusiast.

What I had no idea of when I started going to gym was that I already had the secret weapon that would propel my commitment and keep me going to the gym for years and years to come. The secret weapon I had was called a relationship, for those of you who don’t have a relationship we’ll just call your secret weapon- a problem, or problems. The relationship I was in at that time, like most relationships had its challenges and when I’d go to the gym I began to do something that grew organically from the activity I performed each time I visited- which was running, and my personal lifestyle which involved daily meditation. As I ran around the indoor track, naturally I brought the issues of my relationship with me, each lap that I completed. What was different than all the millions of gym enthusiasts and runners with emotional issues was that I broke my problem down into a phrase, such as, “I have nothing to do with his anger,” I used my knowledge of breathing and my knowledge of positive thinking as well, but that comes later. As I ran I would repeat this phrase over and over, and so I will refer to this repetitive phrasing of the issue as a “‘chant”.  

As I chanted my issue over and over I could feel my body becoming energized by the release of the energy that focusing in a positive manner of my issue created. As my body began to feel a sense of joy, the chant would shift itself and a new phrase would come to mind. Usually this phrase was something inspirational, something positive such as- “I am separate from his anger, I am free from his attitudes...” which after a few more laps might then shift to, “I am independent, I am unaffected, I am always centered....”

I call this technique meditation in motion, and what it did for me was amazing. I found that I was able to shift some, if not all of the issue to a much better place in one gym visit. Often however, I would find those thoughts continue to unfold into higher and higher realizations while I was in the car driving home, and if I purposely revisited the thoughts before falling asleep, then they would keep unwinding like some pre-recorded cassette that existed inside my head. The only thing that might put a wrench into the continuation of this process throughout the night was if before I left the gym I got into a long conversation about something that wasn’t positive. What elevated the process throughout the night is if I ended my gym routine with a half hour or so of yoga. If I did that then I really found myself not only feeling great about the inner work I’d accomplished, but the high from mediation in motion is awesome and often left me on cloud nine well into the next day.

What I love about meditation in motion is that you only have to consciously do one thing, and that is break down your issue into a short phrase. Once you’ve done that the chanting of it will unfold your situation without your effort and the joyous effects on your mind and body are the results of the endorphins and serotonin that are released into your blood stream, also without your conscious effort. By the way, if you can’t think of your issue continuously and have to keep remembering to chant, that’s okay. Chances are though, if you are really under some serious stress, your mind will be glued to the issue even without you endeavoring to keep it there. Here is what you do to incorporate meditation in motion into your gym routine.

• Break down your problem into a short and meaningful phrase such as: (My boss) She is always on my back.
• Find an activity that you can perform for anywhere from 15-30 minutes.

• Use an aerobic machine/activity such as the stair master, the elliptical, the stationary bike, power walking or just jogging.
• This may take a while, but incorporate your breathing by repeating the chant once for every breath you take. Needless to say, avoid conversations or even distractions of greeting people etc.
• Now just let the process unfold

If you really want to boost your inner work and shift the issue as much as possible, find a quiet corner if you’re at the gym and end your workout with a 15-30 minute yoga session! If you’re home, find a quiet place do perform your yoga. Not only will meditation in motion help to clear your mind and reduce your stress, the chemicals released into your body by combining aerobic and meditation will leave you feeling like a million bucks on steroids!

Copyright Donya Ture’