I can kind of meditate when powerwalking but not really with anything else.  Running and bike riding require a lot more awareness of what's going on around me to really "meditate".  I do get runner's high from jogging but that's different. 

Yoga is not an 'off shoot' of meditation. "Meditation is not separate from yoga, nor is asana separate from yoga."(B.K.S. Iyengar). Moving meditation can be achieved through practice and patience. No one can really teach you how to do it but unfortunately it takes a lot more than just assuming you can 'clear' your mind. Take it from someone who has been charged to meditate twice a day, 30 min a day >_<.

I do think that exercise is fantastic for relaxing a person's mind and putting them in a place of harmony. I love the powerful vibration of a good run or after dancing!

Thanks for the feedback so far, everyone; your comments are enlightening.

skinnyogi, my reference to yoga as an offshoot of meditation was a reference to the Western habit of pragmatism, essentially taking what is wanted from other cultures or concepts and discarding the rest.  Hence, Americanization of yoga frequently separates the exercise from its spiritual & mental components.  I think few Americans practice it or comprehend it as it was intended by the society that created it.  No offense intended to those truly in the know. 

I'm also aware that some people make the separation in order to hang on to their own spiritual/mental traditions while drawing benefit from the physical practices.  The opinions I express are theoretical, based solely on readings, since I know no serious yoga adepts.  Guess this is what I'd call a disclaimer.

Original Post by whooshi:

Thanks for the feedback so far, everyone; your comments are enlightening.

skinnyogi, my reference to yoga as an offshoot of meditation was a reference to the Western habit of pragmatism, essentially taking what is wanted from other cultures or concepts and discarding the rest. Hence, Americanization of yoga frequently separates the exercise from its spiritual & mental components. I think few Americans practice it or comprehend it as it was intended by the society that created it. No offense intended to those truly in the know.

I'm also aware that some people make the separation in order to hang on to their own spiritual/mental traditions while drawing benefit from the physical practices. The opinions I express are theoretical, based solely on readings, since I know no serious yoga adepts. Guess this is what I'd call a disclaimer.

No offense taken! It's very funny that you talk about the 'Western Pragmatism' because the place that quote came from goes on to talk about taking parts of yoga and leaving the rest!

great topic here!

i practice mindfulness meditation, and the ultimate goal is to be mindful at all times :)

you can absolutely 'meditate' during any activity, in that, you can be present for any activity... or you can make any activity a meditation in that you can practice being focused and aware pointedly... this is a great alternative for people who have a hard time sitting and getting their mind to be quiet (someone above mentioned ADD)

remember, though, it's called 'practice' for a reason - it takes consistency and commitment, but there is no pressure to be perfect, just keep coming back to your focus (your breath, etc.) whenever your mind wanders, without judging or criticising yourself :)

Really interesting topic.  I definitely don't think exercise and meditation are separate and their is a lot to the "moving meditation" philosophy that skinnyyogi mentions.  I take my meditation practice to the gym all the time, for example, visualizing myself being chased by a tiger while running on the elliptical.  I find myself more focused, and actually getting stronger and faster by visualizing myself in that place.  I'm able to go longer at a steeper incline and/or more resistance when I do the visualization.  Hope this helps.

I'm really loving these responses. Frankly, I've never been really clear on the nature of meditation--how, for example, it differs from prayer or self-hypnosis or visuallization, and all these responses add a new dimension to my notions of hoq people practice this art.

My counselor recently (March-ish?) "assigned" me to do meditation, along the lines of inbloom's description "mindfulness meditation."  He's not a person who over-instructs, so I ask for a lot of help as questions come up.  I won't see him again until late August, since I'm travelling.  He later recommended walking meditation, essentially a week after I tried that at a women's retreat as the ending to a terrific sacred dance session, the name of which I can't recall. I really love the feel and notion of "moving meditation" as scalebeater describes. Seems to me it takes motion, exercise, physical activity to a whole 'nother level of integration of body, mind, and spirit that can only be good for you.

I have always loved and generally participated in a wide variety physical fitness activities my entire life, despite my weight. I have also tended to yo-yo diet and vary my weight almost cyclically over the decades. One thing meditation could do is end the tendency to substitute obsessive exercise for obsessive eating that has been the hallmark of my yo-yo lifestyle. It could, I'm fairly certain reduce my fear of uncontrollable obsession to a realization that I am, in fact, acting out bad habits that can be controlled.