{"id":20715,"date":"2015-02-19T12:54:04","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T17:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=20715"},"modified":"2015-02-20T13:06:29","modified_gmt":"2015-02-20T18:06:29","slug":"breathe-way-best-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/ro\/journal\/breathe-way-best-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Breathe Your Way Into Your Best Run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Balance is the unity between our mind and body. Our bodies respond to the way that our minds feel. It\u2019s our bodies’ way of telling us that something isn\u2019t right; something is out of order. The problem is that most of us listen to our mind and the body suffers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of those mornings for me. My mind is trying to tell me to hit the snooze button, stay in bed, and rest. This after I\u2019ve just enjoyed a good seven hours’ sleep the night before. It\u2019s in these moments that I\u2019m prone to do the complete opposite from\u00a0how my mind is attempting to describe the morning to me. This is the moment I realize I must get out of bed and begin moving through my day\u2014\u201cmoving\u201d being a key word here.<\/p>\n

My mind has started the day with an attempt to disconnect me from my body. So, first on the agenda is engaging in the practice that cultivates unity and peace within. I begin with my breath.\u00a0Breathing (or pranayama in yoga) is the tool that \u201cyokes\u201d the body\/mind connection.<\/strong> With each task, I deepen my inhale and lengthen my exhale, developing a nice steady rhythm of breath. The pace of my breath is just as important as the length and depth.<\/p>\n

On this particular morning, I\u2019m starting my day with a run. I begin with a standard breath-based warm-up. I remain focused on the length, depth, and pace of my inhale and exhale as I nasal breathe diaphragmatically. The breath is my natural furnace, heating my body up from the inside out and sending fresh oxygen to my heart and lungs. It\u2019s only me, the sound of my breath, my feet hitting the ground, and the snow capped mountains in the distance.<\/p>\n

The beginning of my run sets the tone for my experience. My mind is onboard with systemic breathing sequences and the body reaps the benefits. My heart rate stays in healthy ranges until or unless I consciously ask more from it. And, when I do ask more, I\u2019m always mindful of giving it back what it needs from the extra demand as I systematically reset my autonomic nervous system.<\/p>\n

My warm-up today included:<\/p>\n