Mindful Chi Running - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD
Mindful Chi Running - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD: "Mindful Chi Running
To run without injury, take a lesson from the Far East. Get focused, loosen up - and get out there.

By Jeanie Lerche Davis

Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson, MD
WebMD Feature





To begin running, you don't need buns of steel. You don't need iron muscles. You don't even need a masochistic mindset.
It may surprise you, but even the most sports-challenged of us can become runners, and do it without sustaining injuries.
How? Learn to run using your mind-body connection, drawing from traditional Chinese medicine, explains Danny Dreyer, a nationally ranked ultra-marathon runner in the San Francisco Bay area. He lays out his plan in his book Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running.
In Chinese culture, chi (pronounced chee) is the subtle energy force that flows through all parts of your body, he says. By practicing mental focus and relaxation -- principles from the ancient practice of T'ai Chi - you can train your body to stay centered, relaxed, and move efficiently.
'If you use your brain, you don't need to work your body as hard,' Dreyer tells WebMD. 'ChiRunning is about having a constant conversation between your mind and your body, getting your mind to train your body to relax, and listen to what your body trying to tell you.'
Effortless running is about relaxing muscles, opening tight joints, and using gravity to do the work, he says. Here's a quick how-to-start outline:
Step 1: Focus Your Mind
'It's the mind that does the bulk of the work in ChiRunning,' writes Dreyer. 'Your mind turns off the chatter and focuses so it can listen to your body.'

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