Let's Practice Chan Running

For people enjoying running and interested in Chan practice, is there any exercise that combines both? The following introduction to Chan running not only shows you how to run, but also helps you to experience Chan practice while running, thus feeling at ease in both motion and stillness.

Running is beneficial in many ways. It not only helps lower risks for lifestyle diseases such as high levels of blood glucose, cholesterol and uric acid, but also enhances weight loss and overall fitness. Medical studies have proved that running improves our memory and judgment. However, running can cause sports injuries, thus discouraging people from this activity.

In fact, with correct methods, running is a fitness exercise suitable for most people. When combined with Chan practice, running not only helps us concentrate better, but also reduces the likelihood of sports injuries, thereby enabling us to feel more refreshed and less tired.

There are correct ways to run, and the same applies to Chan running in particular. Even a novice runner with zero experience in running can go from being a jogger to a Chan runner. Are you ready for this?



Class for Chan Running has now started!


Instructor: Ven. Yang Dao (演道法師), team leader of Run for Dharma Running Team (道心跑步隊) of Dharma Drum Sangha University
Goal of training: Being capable of running a 10-kilometer marathon after 12 weeks of training
Targeted group: For people of all ages who plan to run a marathon or who simply want to run
Method for Chan running: Keep the mind where the body is; be clearly aware of whole body relaxation
Content of training: Including breathing, warming up, running, and closing exercises


A. Breathing: before, during, and after running

Before running: Maintain the posture of standing meditation, and adjust your breathing by inhaling and exhaling slowly. Alternatively, you can use your hands to help yourself adjust the breathing: First, join palms in front of your chest, and stretch your arms upward while inhaling through your nose. Then, release your hands and stretch your arms sideways to make a circle while exhaling through your mouth. Finally, join palms in front of your chest. Repeat this procedure until your breathing is harmonized and rhythmic, before starting to run.

During running: Follow a two-in-two-out breathing pattern: namely, two inhalations through the nose and two exhalations through mouth. You can deepen the second inhalation, that is, by taking a deep breath during the second inhalation and slightly slowing down its tempo. This helps replenish your body with oxygen and prevents you from feeling out of breath.

After running:

1. Open and stretch both arms backward with your hands at the level of your waist, while bending your knees slightly. Next, slowly raise your arms and join your palms in front of your chest. Then, stretch your arms upward while inhaling through your nose, and join the palms above your head, with your knees straightening in accordance with your arms' movement.

2. Lower your arms sideways and downward to draw a circle, while exhaling slowly through your mouth. Raise your palms upward to make a cross in front of your chest or abdomen, then drop your arms and spread them sideways, with your knees bending at the same time. Gradually slow down your breathing through this cycle of inhalation and exhalation.


B. Warm up

This basic preparation for running takes about 10 minutes. A good pre-run warm up helps your muscles maintain their strength and resilience, thus allowing you to run more easily and for farther distances. The principle of the warm-up exercise is to warm up the body from head to toe. The method applied here is Dharma Drum Eight-form Moving Meditation, which can help the warm-up exercise achieve a better effect.

(A) Eight-form Moving Meditation
First form: Waist rotation with swinging arms, which helps to relax neck, shoulders and lower back. 
Third form: Hip rotation, which helps to relax lower back.
Fourth form: Back stretching and bending. Through stretching the spine, arms, and legs, the exercise is designed to stretch the whole body.
Fifth form: Swing and bend, which emphasizes relaxation of hands and knees while warming up the whole body through swinging naturally.
Seventh form: Knee exercise, which enhances relaxation of the knees.

 (If you have enough time to perform the eight forms, please visit the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JLwkk20lFc)

(B) Stretching Exercises
◎Arm rotation: Raise your arms to the side with palms facing up, and rotate them toward your body. This movement helps relax the muscles of your shoulders, neck and hands.
◎Heel to buttock: Bend your left knee and pull your left heel up towards your bottom. Hold the back of your left foot with your left hand, and then count to 10. Then repeat the procedure with right leg. Practice 10 to 20 times to stretch the front-thigh muscles.
◎Leg stretching: Squat down, stretch out your left leg, slide it to the left side, and count to 10. Then change sides. Repeat for about 10 cycles to stretch the calf muscles.
◎Jumping Jack: When jumping up, spread your legs wide and clap your hands overhead. When landing, return to a position with your feet together and arms at the sides. Stretch muscles of thighs and calves by doing this exercise 20 to 30 times.
◎Complete the warm up by rotating your wrists and ankles, and you are ready to run.

Running training


．Venue: School playgrounds, gyms, or parks.
．Timing: You can have a run either in the morning or in late afternoon. Or, you can run both at dawn and dusk.
．Frequency: 2-3 times a week; 30 minutes each time.
．Posture: Run with your upper body kept straight, hands holding loose fists, one forefoot touching the ground, and the heel of the other foot slightly pulled towards your bottom. The stride length does not need to be wide. Let both hands swing naturally while running in order to save physical strength. There is no such thing as a standard posture for Chan running; relaxation is the main guiding principle.

．Reminders prior to a run:

．Condition of the route: When running up a hill, slightly lean your upper body forward, with the same running method and speed as that of running on flat ground. However, you can save energy and avoid injury by running with smaller steps. If you feel out of breath, regulate your breathing by slowing down to a brisk walk.

When going down a hill, slow down the cadence to regulate your breathing, save physical energy and avoid overexertion of the knees.

．Weather: A cloudy and breezy day is the most favorable weather for running. When running under the scorching sun, beware of dehydration, heat stroke, and sunburn. It is also advisable to stay hydrated and consider wearing a hat. When running in the rain, be cautious to avoid slips and falls. When a cold wave occurs (below 15℃), consider wearing long sleeves, and make sure to keep your head warm. When sweating, be careful not to catch a cold due to the wide temperature differential.

．Diet: Before running, it is recommended to have some nuts or chocolate, in addition to 20 - 30 ml of water. It is important to replenish electrolytes and water after running, but you mustn’t drink a large amount of water in one single intake. Avoid eating lots of food right after the running; instead, simply eat light meals high in protein.


．Clothing: It is important to have sports shoes that fit your feet well, where five-toed socks and moisture-wicking clothing are preferred. Compression garments can provide muscle and joint support, reduce soft tissue vibrations during exercise, and work better for thermal insulation and moisture wicking.

．Sporadic issues: The most commonly seen is muscle cramp. When it occurs, try to keep your legs and knees straight, grab your toes and slowly pull them towards your knees. The pain will alleviate as the contracted calves muscles gradually stretch and relax. Alternatively, face a wall and lift your cramped leg to press your sole against the wall, with the knee kept straight.

You can also drink some water or a sports drink to balance the electrolytes in your body. The pain usually lasts for a while after a cramp. You can alleviate it faster by gently massaging the cramped area and applying hot compress to it.


．Wrapping up: After the run, do the warm-up exercise again, with a focus more on the stretching exercises, to reduce the accumulated lactic acid in muscles. This will help alleviate the pain and soreness.





Training plans: