What Happens when Exercise and Meditation Aren't Mutually Exclusive

When you picture someone meditating, you might visualize a person sitting perfectly still on a cushion, a peaceful expression on their face, and an overall ease about them. But stillness isn’t the only way to meditate. Movement can also be meditation.

Swimming is meditation for me. The rhythmic movement and consistent breathing, especially when swimming in open water, create a calmness in my nervous system that is exactly what I get when sitting still for meditation.

The only sounds are the rushing water by my ears, and the bubbles leaving my nose. Often I occupy my mind by counting my strokes, the turnover of numbers one through nine becoming like a mantra. Sometimes my mind wanders away from me, to unimportant things typically, then I bring it back to counting, or simply listening to the water.

Any exercise where you are fully present and don’t need to think too hard about what you are doing can be meditation. Swimming, walking, running, biking, hiking, skating and more can create the same effects as meditation.

What is meditation?

Meditation is a practice where you become fully present in your mind and body. According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, to meditate is to:

think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

With this definition, anything that you do physically, where you focus your mind, can become a meditative practice. You can focus your mind and move your body at the same time. People often tell me that they can’t find time to meditate, but they might already be meditating and just not know it.

Meditation typically leaves you feeling calm and relaxed. You feel deeply connected to your body and the moment you are in. Many cardio type exercises also make you feel this way. I get a euphoria after swimming that I didn’t get from any other type of exercise, until I discovered yoga. My mind is clear and calm after both, as well as energized. I have occasionally reached this euphoric state from sitting in meditation, though it’s not as consistent for me. What is consistent is the calm and clarity.

Cardio as Meditation

I have acupuncture patients who are runners, bikers, hikers, and triathletes. I would guess that they all do these activities because of how it makes them feel. It’s difficult to go for a bike ride on the roads, especially here in New England, without being fully present and aware of your surroundings. There is a reason Massachusetts drivers are sometimes called “Massholes.”

Cardiovascular exercise, in addition to all of the physical benefits, improves your mood, reduces stress, and can help with both anxiety and depression. It can also improve memory and attention, according to some studies.

This is what meditation does for you as well. It strengthens your focus helping you notice this moment for longer and longer periods of time. Meditation helps you feel your feelings and be with what is. It reduces stress, anxiety and depression.

I believe that movement can be meditation. Vinyasa yoga, the flow style of yoga that I practice and teach, is one of my favorite movement meditation practices. When I connect the breath with the movement, like when swimming, I am fully present in my body and mind. I have no thoughts other than on what I am doing with my body and breath. Everything else falls away.

Meditation as Cardio

Visualization has been used in sports for many years, and there is a reason for it. When you purposefully imagine yourself doing an exercise, your body internalizes the movements and it becomes part of your kinesthetic experience. Meditation, in this way, prepares the body to do something specific.

Even if you are not an Olympic athlete, your body will benefit from visualizing your movements. Imagine standing on the golf course by the tee. Feel the sun on your face and your feet planted on the ground. Visualize your perfect swing, the ball soaring toward the hole with ease and precision. Can you feel that in your body?

I love visualizing myself gliding through the water effortlessly. Maybe you visualize ease in your stride as you run, shoulders relaxed as your arms glide by your sides. Whatever type of exercise you like, meditation and movement can go hand in hand, enhancing each other while you reap the benefits.

There are studies that show how visualization alone can enhance your performance and strength in a sport. The mind is a powerful tool, and while you shouldn’t necessary skip your exercise sessions, they might be even better if you visualize the movements before and while you do them.

What’s your favorite way to meditate?

Do you practice meditation on a cushion or while moving your body? Have you noticed that cardio and meditation can have similar mental effects? Have you ever visualized running/biking/hiking/swimming while meditating? Leave a comment below!

Coming in June:

IRL: Yoga and Walking every Saturday in June! Come for a wonderful morning of walking in the woods in Metrowest Massachusetts with a wonderful community of active adults over 50! We’ll warm up with yoga before the walk and cool down with yoga afterward. Learn proper walking mechanics so that you feel strong and capable through the walk and for the rest of your day! Click the button below to see where we’re walking and to sign up!

Online: Summer is the perfect time to get back into your yoga practice. The weather is warm and you want to get outside and enjoy it, with gardening, going for walks or runs, biking, swimming, golfing, and more. However before you get out there, it's important to condition your body so that you don't injure yourself. That will keep you from the things you love!

Yoga is the best way to cross train, both for physical activities and for life! Join the Summer Yoga Kickoff, an online event through the month of June to do just that! Take classes such as Mindful Core, Head to Toe Stretch, Movement and Meditation, Sun Salutations, and Strength and Balance, to get your body ready to do all the outdoor activities you love while feeling your best! Click the button below to sign up!