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The Tao of Running by Brain Doctor

Published on February 25, 2008 by Brain Doctor in Running

Verses based on the Tao Te Ching applied to running.

The Tao Te Ching (pronounced Dow deh Jing) or “book of the way” was a profound gift from either a sage named Lao-tzu or a group of his contemporaries. This simple, elegant and poetic tome on life and living is attributed to Lao-tzu, who was possibly born around 604 B.C.E. in China. Many scholars believe it to be the work of many as opposed to the work of one person. Lao-tzu would probably be amused and say the Tao came from the Tao and has to be experienced to be understood.

The philosophical tradition and teachings of Taoism have influenced eastern culture as far back as 3000 B.C.E. and the earliest writings espousing “the scripture of the way and its power” are from around 500 B.C.E. Little is known for sure about Lao-tzu, but the book of roughly eighty short verses has endured and inspired many to follow the path to oneness with nature through Tao.

There are many translations of the Tao Te Ching. It is the most translated book in the world other than the bible. There are eighty-one chapters in the complete Tao Te Ching that I have adapted to running and I have taken bits and pieces from several versions and modified them to best suit my purpose and those of the reader. I do not wish to offend and have concentrated on passages that have relevance and meaning to running, from my own experience.

The Essence of Tao

It is difficult to capture the essence of running in words as words cannot describe it.

Running must be experienced directly. The Tao runner knows this is the only way.

Selfish motives skim the surface and miss the depth and fullness of being and running.

Running only for speed or acclaim is not the way to run fully present, content.

Running with Tao expands understanding of oneness with nature.

Running Relativity

Grace exists due to clumsiness.
Speed exists due to slowness.
A skilled runner is considered so only in comparison to another, unskilled.
Perception requires opposites.
The Tao runner needs no comparisons or judgments and knows that all things change.
At a point, one leads, at another, one is behind. At the end of the race, the Tao runner has done her best and needs no accolades.
The effort is enough and lasts forever.

Without Acclaim

By retaining humility, rivalry is reduced.
The skilled runner does not boast, for all things change with time.
Jealousy and envy are possessive and drain needed energy better spent on training.
By being flexible, and setting realistic goals, the Tao runner does not train with futility.
By not contriving, he retains the harmony of inner peace and enjoys running.
Practice going with the flow of Tao and all things proceed in their natural way.

Inexhaustible

The Tao runner draws on the immeasurable energy of Tao, which is replenished naturally.
Like in nature, rough edges are made smooth, tangles are unwound, insights are clarified, and tension is relaxed.
When sharpened beyond its innate edge, a sword is brittle and is of no use. So it is with excessive training that predisposes injury.
Like the finest sword smith, the Tao runner uses patience and intuition to mold the body toward its natural potential.

Spontaneous Action

Nature is indifferent, wind and rain go where they wish, neither benevolent, nor evil.

The Tao runner retains the tranquility of nature and is indifferent, not judging the wind and rain, running when she chooses.

Running with Tao, empty of desire, her energy remains, her thoughts focused on the present.

Her lungs are like a bellows, empty, and then full, as the run proceeds with spontaneity.

The Mystic Female

The Tao runner knows Yin, the mystic female, or Mother Nature, the source.

The Tao is constantly renewing, changing, like a fertile valley in the mountains.

When you tire, draw on this energy, as it is always available and enduring, ready for infinite possibility.

Losing the Self

Running is as old as humankind; it does not exist for itself. Likewise the earth is eternal and has no desire.

The Tao runner is content to run, indifferent to outcome, confident behind or in the lead.

Detached from desire, in unity with the path, the runner becomes the run and is fulfilled.

Like Water

Water sustains all life, flowing naturally, demanding nothing of those nourished by it. In that way it is like the Tao.

It flows with humility, to the lowest level, overcoming all impediments.

The Tao runner is like water, staying close to the ground of their being, humble after a win, satisfied with effort following a loss.

He runs at the correct pace, without judging the pace of others, hoping all will finish.

Avoid Extremes

Fill a cup to overflowing and it is easy to spill.

Sharpen a knife too often and it will wear out.

Too much speed work in pursuit of a fast race time leads to injury.

Seeking a personal best in each race invites failure. Choose the right time to excel.

The Tao runner is patient, completing the race with natural ease without regard for the approval of others, letting the effort speak.

With a Clear Mind

Can you keep your wandering mind on the task at hand?

Can you remain supple, relaxed, breathing with ease, staying centered?

Can you nourish your body and show it love without possession, remaining receptive to changing needs?

The Tao runner does these things and leads from behind, maintaining harmony, attuned to the way.

Nothing is Something

Spokes form a wheel, but it is the hole for the axle that makes it useful.

The space inside the cup holds the water.

We train to increase breath, but the empty spaces in our lungs make it possible to run.

We use what cannot be held for long, our breath.

Our Senses can be Fooled

Colors delight, but too much light can blind.

Sounds soothe, but loudness can deafen.

Flavor gives pleasure, but too much spice ruins a meal.

Knowledge is helpful but ruminating cause’s tension and distraction.

Desire for faster race times can be addictive.

The Tao runner seeks balance in all things and trusts things will unfold as they should.

What is Good?

People prefer success over failure, thinking one is better than the other. Both cause tension and offer lessons.

The quick fear a loss, the slow judge their progress harshly. The Tao runner does not judge and trusts the effort.

See your self dissolve in the attempt. Remain indifferent, peaceful, and become the world all around.

With no self, there is no one to suffer, and you can trust and keep all things equally.

Mysterious Fuel

Look at the Tao runner. How is she different?

The difference cannot be seen or heard or touched. It cannot be told, it must be experienced.

Staying in the present moment has no beginning and no end. It is your natural state of being. It is in your breath.

Run toward it and you will know.

Ancient Wisdom

The Tao runners of the past were wise and at one with nature. They ran to live. We can only describe their ways.

They moved with little sound, observant like a warrior in hostile lands, fluid, like melting ice.

With pure effectiveness in motion, open to all in their surroundings, leaving no trace.

Pure of heart, they waited to be carved by nature, like an unpolished stone.

The Tao runner is patient and calm, waiting for opportunity to unfold.

Serenity

There will always be some level of chaos around us, in our lives or in society. It comes and goes, in a natural ebb and flow.

We can always return to our selves with running. It is effective meditation when we accept our effort at all times.

If you are aware of the healing properties of a good run, you know you can count on it to center you in the midst of the passing storm.

Bringing yourself in accord with the Tao makes the waves less noticeable. You can rise above them, floating toward our common destination without fear.

The Best Trainer

Coaches come in all shapes and sizes and with a myriad of dispositions.

When leading with scorn or by fear, they receive and deserve no respect. If blinded by their own agenda, they are ineffective.

The hand that coaxes lightly will find yielding, not opposition.

The trainer whose methods are barely perceptible will have people say “We did it.” This is the leader’s goal.

Glorious Adversity

When we lose our perspective, we cannot appreciate adversity.

The race in optimal conditions presents no challenge. Humidity breeds humility.

Extremes of heat and cold simply remind us we must be prepared for anything.

An excellent effort in the rain is valuable.

That said; do not waste a perfect day.

Return to Nature

It is better to live fulfilling your potential than to wait for some distant reward.

Too much knowledge corrupts a natural process. Beyond good running posture, who knows what is the best method or shoes.

Put aside things you have learned or read that are not true for you. Find your own path.

Running at your own pace will reveal the sculpture within you.

Use what works for you and stay close to your own nature. Approach the end result without desire and it will come to you.

Value Difference

All runners are different. Trying to be like others, which seems comforting, invites suffering.

Mother culture says we should all be goal- oriented, fast, thin, beautiful, well equipped, and seek the same rewards.

The Tao runner is content in her own skin. She is appreciative of her body and wonders at its abilities.

She is sustained by differences. It is her endeavor that is the primary concern.

Beginning

He keeps his mind on the path even if it seems invisible, untouchable, obscure.

How can one follow an unseen path?

How can one feel what cannot be touched?

What sort of path presents itself unfolding minute by minute? The running path.

By staying true to what is known in your heart of being. Begin and it unfolds.

Necessary Steps

To run, you will have to walk.
To win, you first have to lose.
To be strong, you have to yield.
To excel, you must know your limits.
Walking builds stamina and aids recovery.
Loss improves resolve and renews focus.
Yielding helps flexibility and reserve.
Limits are needed to provide challenge.

Opening

When you run, you can hear your breath with each step. There is only you, the path, and your breath.

If you open yourself up to running, you and your body are in tune with each other. Your experience is at its peak. You can trust your natural effort.

You can be at your peak, and when the race is over, the effort shines through. You know you have done your best.

Just Run

She who has a weak core doesn’t run with confidence.
She who runs the first mile too quickly suffers at the end of the race.
She who draws attention to herself with words falls short of her goals.
She who runs to excess doesn’t know her true nature.
The Tao runner simply completes her training and all else falls into place.
The Secret
The Tao runner follows his intuition, taking note of what he feels, cutting training short if his body signals it is tired.
He does not stick to a training agenda and become injured by failing to adjust.
His mind is open to possibility. He knows he will have good days and bad days and is ready to use what is present.

The End

There is no end to movement and change in your life. You run until you can’t run any longer, then you walk. You walk until you can’t walk any longer. When you can no longer walk, you sit and breathe. Only with your last breath is there an end, and it is another beginning.

Why Run if No One is Chasing You?

If you want to increase your functional lifespan, improve your level of happiness and self confidence, and protect your brain from the ravages of time, you must exercise and eat a healthy diet. Everyone knows these truths, but few act on this vital information.

Through my work as a geriatric psychiatrist, I see the end results of poor health habits. The combination of inactivity, poor diet, inadequate self care, and high levels of stress culminate in premature aging of the body and mind. One has only to walk around the inpatient psychiatry unit where I work to see the fate potentially awaiting each of us. The suffering for patients and families is palpable to the treatment team that helps me do what we can for the people we treat. The hopeful thing about declining function with age is that some of it is preventable with exercise, diet, and stress reduction.

New studies show that you can begin at almost any age and still improve your overall health, extend the longevity of your mind, and extend your functional life in the process. If the stories in this book don’t get you fired up and off the couch, perhaps some information about the consequences of inactivity will spark the fire under your well-cushioned caboose.

What follows are some daunting statistics and information about the current state of affairs in Michigan and the United States as a whole. The data presented here are for illustrating trends, as these numbers change yearly and are not always available for the current year.

About 2/3 of Americans are overweight
About 1/4 of Americans are obese
Michigan is one of the five states with the highest percentage of obese residents. (24.4%).
Common conditions associated with obesity include premature death, high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes
More than a quarter of Americans will die of cardiovascular disease. It is the number-one cause of death after age 65 and is number two from age 45 to 64.
An estimated 400,000 deaths in the United States each yearare attributable to lack of adequate exercise. This number is comparable to the 435,000 annual deaths attributable to smoking.
Around 25 percent of Americans report no exercise at all, and a sedentary lifestyle reportedly increases risk of stroke by 400 percent. Stroke is the number-three cause of death for people over age 65.
Almost half of young Americans between the ages of 12 and 21 do not engage in regular physical exercise
Americans think they are healthier than they actually are. More than 60 percent of Americans don’t exercise enough to yield health benefits.
More than 21 percent of Americans still smoke, and chronic lung disease is the fourth leading cause of death after age 65
Compared to a normal body mass index a BMI of 30 to 35 correlates with double the risk for coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis. It quintuples the risk for type 2 diabetes in men and triples the risk for type 2 diabetes for women.
Two-thirds of people with a BMI of 40 have high blood pressure. This level of obesity carries about a 15 percent risk of each of these chronic health conditions: type 2 diabetes, coronary artery, disease and osteoarthritis.

BMI Weight Status

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5 to 24.9 Normal

25.0 to 29.9 Overweight

Over 30 Obese

Over 40 Morbidly Obese

BMI is only one predictor of risk for certain health conditions. Other factors to consider are blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, level of exercise, family history, and diet. In addition, some athletes with a large amount of muscle mass have an increased BMI, but may be in excellent condition.

The plain and simple truth is that many chronic health conditions have common denominators. They are: lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, obesity, and the effects of excess stress.

The good news about running and walking is that almost anyone can do one or the other. They don’t cost much. You can even do them indoors when the weather requires. They also induce secondary changes in health awareness and self image, increase the focus on needed dietary changes, and reduce stress. For example, no one in my running group smokes. They don’t drink to excess, and they make better food choices. As a rule, they have lost weight or gained muscle mass, changing their metabolism. They have also had the benefits of a supportive group of like-minded individuals to help them during stressful times.

Exercise has been shown to decrease blood pressure, decrease cholesterol, induce weight loss, and produce net muscle gain. Weight- bearing exercise increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Running increases VO2, which is a measure of maximum oxygen uptake. This parameter decreases with age, but the decline is slower in physically active people. The better your VO2, the better your body functions and the slower you show your age. The age-related decline in muscle mass with age is also slowed by active exercise such as running. If you want to do well in your later years, invest in your level of conditioning now and develop an exercise routine for the rest of your life.

You don’t have to run fast to get the calorie- burning benefits. The determining factor in calories burned per mile is more related to the runner’s weight than running pace. Here is one place where weight helps. The more you weigh, the more calories you burn at a given pace. Walking burns about half as many calories per mile, so you have to invest twice as much time, but the overall benefits are similar. Racewalking provides the benefits of running without the knee and joint pounding that can be difficult for people with bad knees or back problems. If you can’t walk, you can exercise in a pool, or on a bike, or on an elliptical trainer.

Runners report higher levels of personal satisfaction and lower stress levels. The psychological benefits of running outpace the physical stress encountered when beginning a running program. Running helps reduce tension, fatigue, and insomnia. Some studies suggest that running and aerobic exercise in general can be an effective antidepressant for many people with mild to moderate depression. Several recent studies show that exercise improves mental health by helping the brain better cope with stress. The anxiety-reducing benefits of running may have a protective effect on brain health by reducing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, which has been shown to damage brain and impair memory function.

Other body functions decline with age. Sexual function can become an issue for middle- aged men and women unless they take care of their circulatory systems. Sexual dysfunction is more common in those with poor overall health. Vigorous exercise can be effective in reducing impotence. In one study, the benefits were seen with walking as little as two miles daily or exercising enough to burn around 200 calories. Another study took sedentary males and had them exercise three to four hours a week. The study participants reported improvements in potency, frequency of sex, and increased levels of satisfaction. People feel better about themselves when they are in shape, and their improved self confidence and healthier body image translates into better sex. Active men are less likely to have impotence problems. You can help keep your sexual functioning intact by having normal body weight, quitting smoking, and reducing excess alcohol intake. All of these changes frequently result from becoming a runner or participating in an exercise program.

Exercise and sensible caloric restriction improve longevity. These claims are no longer disputed. A study of more than 17,000 Harvard University alumni from 1962 to 1995 showed that exercise was inversely related to death rates. The people who exercised the most did the best, on average. Other studies on the effects of exercise have shown a 40 percent reduction in risk of heart attack in women and 60 percent reduction in heart attacks in men. The group of people in the lowest 20 percent for cardiovascular fitness had a death rate three times higher than the fit group. Exercise has a logarithmic effect on health because of the synergy between increased cardiovascular health, lower weight, lower cholesterol, stress reduction, and improved self image.

Some of the most exciting recent data available about exercise and brain health suggests that exercise stimulates protective brain chemicals that protect new brain cells. This protein, called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” helps brain cells grow and make new connections. This news is especially interesting to those of us working with patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The memory-boosting effects of running have been shown to protect the hippocampus, the area of the brain affected earliest in patients afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Older adults who exercise have brains that are more densely packed with extra connections and are more resistant to damage. The studies show not only preserved function, but also actual improvement. These new studies suggest that we may be able to delay the onset of this terrible disease. The link may have to do with reducing vascular damage in the brain related to poor oxygen delivery. By reducing the “clogged-blood- vessel-related” damage, people will not show symptoms until a later age and may have more functional years.

Tags: health, Running, Tao, The Tao of Running

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