The traditional image of meditation may conjure up for some an image of a monk or yogi in orange robes, sitting in the Lotus position in a Himalayan cave for decades whilst chanting the most sacred syllable, “Aum…” At least, that’s what it did for me!

However, spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy encourages a different way of leading a spiritual life. He teaches that while meditation is a central part of spirituality, the body’s physical fitness is also of great importance. The body and the soul must be given equal care. As we feed our body several times a day, so we should also feed our soul with regular meditation. Similarly, if we devotedly sit meditating for hours on end, but don’t take any exercise, our body’s lethargy will be at odds with our aspirations for a spiritual life.

Running is a perfect way of keeping our body in good condition. Our bodies are designed to run. We have all the right muscles, the circulatory and respiratory system for great feats of endurance. It is only the different lifestyle of modern society that prevents us from traversing the length and breadth of continents on foot, as our ancestors did millions of years ago – and the remainders of some ancient South American and Australian cultures still do today. Sri Chinmoy, who founded The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, a non-profit organization that put on races of all kinds of distances worldwide, advises his students to try and run, or take some other form of physical exercise if running is impossible, every day.

I first began running a few weeks after I became a student of Sri Chinmoy. Though I had played team sports and studied a martial art, I had never enjoyed running for the sake of it, and if someone had asked me “Can you run?” I would have replied, “No way! I can’t run to save my life!” Probably this would be the response of many people. However, despite my initial reluctance, I was soon inspired by the other students of Sri Chinmoy to begin running. Starting with panting my way around one lap of the park, my capacity began to improve, at first gradually and then faster as I became fitter and began to enjoy running.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team hosts a weekly two-mile race in North Hagley Park and I began attending regularly. In 7 months, my 2-mile time had improved by over four minutes. My longest distance run had gone from one lap of the park to 25 kilometres! My body is stronger and I have gained more energy, dynamism and confidence in my everyday life. I have also noticed that having a fitter body has helped my meditation.

Running helps meditation, and meditation helps running. The inner discipline and faith we get from meditation and from having a spiritual teacher helps a lot when trying to break a personal best! Self-Transcendence is something Sri Chinmoy especially encourages. Going beyond what our mind percieves as our limitations gives us great joy and encouragement. Sri Chinmoy says about Self-Transcendence,

“Transcendence is perfection.
Perfection is transcendence
When we transcend our capacities,
Immediately we get an inner joy,
An inner thrill,
Which is another name for perfection.
No perfection can ever be achieved
Without self-transcendence.”

Self-Transcendence is a major part of Sri Chinmoy’s and his student’s manifestation. If you thought a marathon (42.5 k) was a long way, try this for size – every year The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Christchurch hosts a 100 kilometre ultra-marathon (the name given to events longer than a marathon, usually referred to as simply “ultras”). If 100 k isn’t enough, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Auckland put on an annual 24-hour race, where the top participants sometimes cover over 200 k, running all day and all night. Amazed yet? The New York team hold a 6-day and 10-day race every April. And to top it all off, there is the yearly Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race, also held in New York, where participants are given 51 days to complete the distance. No matter what level of fitness you start at, you can transcend your capacities and make progress in your spiritual life by starting running. Sri Chinmoy says,

“Run and Become.
Become and Run.
Run to succeed in the outer world.
Become to proceed in the inner world.”