How to Win a Run Even When Your Body Feels Tired and Lazy

Focusing on just one step ahead and "relying on the subtle body" created a miracle for my morning run.

Photo by Phellipe Ditadi on Unsplash

You woke up and dragged yourself to the park. Your body was exhausted and just wanted to sit, but you kept walking. Your legs felt heavy. How could you even run?

Yes, you can. If you understand that our bodies have several layers of energy, you can find the support you need. Here is one of my experiences.

What I described above happened to me yesterday morning. I kept walking in exhaustion and heaviness for about 10 minutes. Then, I started feeling more present with the trees and sunlight in the park. My legs grew lighter. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head: “Just try a little bit.” So, I started running slowly. More air filled my lungs. I felt more alert. And I kept running.

Then I heard a voice saying: “Rely on the subtle body.” I relaxed my consciousness into the space in front of me, which immediately took some weight off my physical body. I left my head and kept my awareness on the space before me. When passing by something my mind was interested in, I made a little more effort to firmly keep myself in the scope of awareness ahead. I focused on just one step at a time. My body felt lighter and lighter. I experienced ease and effort simultaneously. This is called "effortless effort" in Zen.

I could feel my consciousness stand still while my body kept running within the scope of my awareness. I felt a shift in identity: I no longer felt myself as the body, but as the witnessing stillness floating around the body. I was aware of the whole body movement and made sure that my feet were fine by watching it.

Another voice was saying: “Now your consciousness becomes one with the Cosmos.” I let go of the voice as well and dwelt in the stillness while my body kept running. I knew as soon as I left the “watching position”, I would spiral into the whirlwind of rollercoaster-like thoughts and emotions.

Until my watching became unwavering and the stillness felt so real that I could almost float on it, I “looked down” and saw my body running exactly like a machine. At this stage, I could bring an image into the firm foundation of stillness without fear of “falling down”. Which image did I bring in? An image of a marathoner running with a perfect form ahead of my body. My body just followed “this person” and kept going. This was a very interesting phenomenon to witness.

Some meditation teachers have mentioned our subtle bodies, the witnessing stillness. Gurudev said we all have three bodies: the physical body, the emotional body, and the causal body, which is Cosmic. Our emotional and causal bodies are subtle; they can expand or contract. If you know these bodies, you’ll be full of energy and have the healing power. No one can throw you off balance.

Deepak Chopra referred to the subtle body as the bliss body, a formless being without stories or thinking. It is joyful, peaceful, light, quiet, and energetic. He also mentioned the unlimited potential of the subtle body: “You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.”

There is a quote from "A Course In Miracles”: “In quietness are all things answered.” Our subtle body, the witnessing stillness, holds all answers to our questions.