Friday, August 13, 2010

Finding Your Tonic Level

A tonic place is the most beneficial balance to approaching running and life. It is the point where I maximize my effort without being overwhelmed or too relaxed. It's about making the most of our time, our prayer, our run. From this place we enter the flow 'super-fluidity', the high, ecstasy, the super-peak experience of spiritual performance. In running it can be describe as effortless resistance, free running. Set the tone, the context and the conditions to be totally present in the moment before God. My legs move like pistons of a train. When distractions come,  the ache in my hip or a noise or other types of 'mind' traffic refocus by dismissing them or inviting them to join you. When the rain comes I invite it to run with me. These moments, these out of this world experiences make their arrival during prayer: We can be running, while peeling potatoes, sweeping the floor, and motionless. I require have difficulty with attention I can spend an afternoon chasing a thought that pops into my mind. Running fully engages my body demanding my attention and overt commitment. It's what it takes me to clear the flight of ideas, the fragmented thinking,and everyday distractions which plagues.

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