Threads of Practice for runners, walkers and yoga folks
These are not really “tips.”
They are observations gathered over years of movement training, yoga, running, walking, strength work, stillness, injury, experimentation and paying attention. They also mirror, as B K S Iyengar (Light on Yoga) states, eastern minds and western thoughts. Studying the Sutra's, the Gita and other yoga texts combined with anatomical readings and the usual podcast chats with a good nod to some very good reading. There is a strong point though and there is one word, one word that trumps it all, and that is 'observation', observe yourself, listen carefully to you. Do not take anyone's word for it, practice. Practice will tell you, practice speaks from the inside not from the outside. Over time your experience becomes your teacher. There are a lot of guru's around, but, you are also a guru. In fact everyone is a guru. You do not need to travel to some spiritual place, hang out with 'cool dudes', you just need to stop, pay attention and listen to that still small voice that has always been present. These thoughts and observations have come to me over a good while, maybe 50 years, maybe a few years.
Some arrived quietly while running trails by the sea.
Some through yoga and breath.
Some through fatigue, mistakes and overreaching.
Some through listening and observing to the thousands of folks I have coached over the years. Those stories focused on journey's, awareness, practice and training. What worked and what did not work.
Some through simply getting older and learning to listen more carefully.
Over time I realised that movement is not separate from life.
How we run, walk, breathe, recover, rest, pay attention, force, soften, compete, compare, observe and relate — all of it threads together.
These small threads are therefore less about performance and more about relationship.
Relationship with the body.
Relationship with attention.
Relationship with effort.
Relationship with nature, breath, stillness and awareness.
Some may seem simple.
Walk more.
Feel the wind.
Relax the jaw.
Run without the watch sometimes.
Strengthen the feet.
But often the simplest practices are the ones we overlook.
Yoga, for me, was never something confined to the mat. Practice slowly began appearing everywhere — in walking, in running, in recovery, in silence, in how I responded to difficulty, and in how I learned to listen inward rather than constantly outward.
So these are not instructions.
Not commandments.
Not hacks.
Just threads of practice.
Take what is useful.
Leave what is not.
Experiment gently.
Observe carefully.
The body is always listening to what we repeatedly ask of it. My fundamental stress and point is practice more of what gives you peace.
1.1 setting the intention creates the direction of energy and action
This is primal of course, bad things could kill us, we needed to learn quickly; fire burns, this animal kills, etc, Iccha in sanskrit is the intention, desire or will, tapas is the fire of discipline, then we move Karma, how we do, move, speak, walk, run then to Karma-phala, results of action. Intention setting is important, what was important for me years ago is not important anymore. Times are immaterial, 'value what we measure or measure what we value' is a killer quote. What is good, why are you doing what you are doing, spend some time listing these qualities and maybe construct a sentence that distils the essence of your reason, your drive, your will, your actions. 1.2 lengthen your spine, your energy connects here
1.3 focus, a steady mind is a practised mind
Feel a quiet pull towards it.
Almost as if you’re falling gently forward into the run.
This creates a rolling sense of intention—always moving forward, never collapsing inward.
Your posture follows.
Your body organises itself around that forward movement.
Run to the next tree, the next corner, the next marker.
Then the next.
1.4 lines of energy
Feel a long bungee cord connected to your sternum, gently drawing you up and forward, like being carried by a ski lift or a kite caught in a steady breeze. Keep the chin level and soften the jaw.
1.5 No Garmin, feel the movement
Once a week, run without looking at your Garmin or watch.
Notice how many times you want to look.
There is no issue with tracking performance, training for races, or using data intelligently. Modern tools are incredible. Pace, heart rate, recovery, cadence, load — all useful information.
But sometimes we lose the ability to feel the run itself.
One thing I stress is learning your pace from the inside out. Internalise it. Learn the rhythm of easy effort, steady movement, and tempo through breath, posture, and feel.
If I run very easily, I roughly cover around 6.5 miles per hour. A little more tempo and that changes naturally. On flatter terrain with some trail mixed in, I know roughly what a comfortable two-hour effort feels like in the body.
Not because I constantly check the watch.
Because over years, the body learns.
Breath tells you.
Posture tells you.
Tension tells you.
Nature tells you.
You begin to sense pace rather than chase it.
Tracking has value. Science matters. Data matters. But awareness matters too.
Always ask:
Why am I doing this run?
Recovery?
Stillness?
Fitness?
Performance?
Headspace?
Habit?
Connection?
Joy?
The purpose changes the practice.
Sometimes the best thing a runner can do is remove the constant feedback and rediscover rhythm without interruption.
Don’t just measure the run.
Feel the run.
1.6:- Become aware of your breath.
(Yes… we are entering the breathing zone.)
This is a hugely connected area and it is easy to disappear into endless techniques and theories, but the bottom line is simple: a short, ragged breath is neither efficient nor calming. Physiologically it places the body under stress and emotionally it often links to the fight-or-flight response. You are not running in a relaxed, efficient, or balanced way.
The aim is not complicated breathing. The breath should feel light, easy, quiet, and natural.
There are many sources exploring this area — Oxygen Advantage, the Maffetone Method, James Nestor’s Breath, and of course the Eastern practices of Prฤแนฤyฤma. All point, in different ways, towards awareness, efficiency, and calmness.
Practice breathing everywhere :).
While walking, working, sitting, talking, resting, and especially during easy runs.
One run each week, make the breath the sole focus. Slow down enough to observe it. Notice when it becomes forced, shallow, or noisy. Over time you may notice the calmness and rhythm of that run begin to thread into your other runs, your walks, your conversations, and even the state of your mind.
I have met many people who breathe perfectly well in everyday life, but the very moment they begin to run — and I mean the very moment — the breath becomes short and ragged. Often this is simply a deeply learned habit and pattern. It can take time and patience to unwind, but doing so can completely change the feeling of running.
One yoga specific focus, the exhale is longer than the inhale, the pause after the exhale is longer than the pause after the inhale (not all the time), this sets the scene for the 'inner connection' the deep link to the heart centre. Breathing in yoga is not all about physiological benefits but also about the mind/body connection and returning to our inner most Self. (Atman)
Some overview thoughts for you
- The breath is often the bridge between effort and stillness.
- In yoga, breath reflects the state of the mind; a disturbed breath often mirrors disturbed attention.
- Runners frequently try to “push fitness” through tension, when efficiency actually arrives through relaxation and rhythm.
1.7 Get into the Rhythm of the movement
The Kenyans have a great expression:
“Run with your hips and elbows.”
Try running without your arms — either above your head or locked stiff by your side,
Very awkward. Very difficult. It feels uncoordinated, it is!
The arms are not separate from the run.
They help organise the whole movement pattern.
Hips, spine, shoulders, elbows, breath, stride — all moving together in rhythm.
Take your focus to the points of the elbows.
Arms relaxed at around 90 degrees (ish).
Then simply feel the rhythm:
tap tap
tap tap
tap tap
Not forced.
Not mechanical.
Just a gentle, repeating pulse.
The beautiful thing about rhythm is that it quietens noise.
When attention settles into rhythm, the mind has less space to wander into tension, worry, distraction, or overthinking.
The body begins to organise itself naturally.
This is where running starts to become more than effort.
You are no longer dragging the body forward through willpower alone.
You begin moving with the movement itself.
So rhythm is not “just rhythm.”
It is coordination.
Efficiency.
Breath.
Relaxation.
Focus.
Meditation in motion.
The runner who finds rhythm often finds ease.
And ease, paradoxically, often leads to better movement, better breathing, and better running.
1.8 connect with the ground, float
Don’t think time ON the ground, think timing OFF the ground.
We can become too obsessed with striking the ground.
For me, there is no “strike.” Good runners are quiet. You almost can’t hear them.
I hear runners a lot — the heavy slapping on the ground, the pounding, the collapse into each step. Often this creates the feeling that we need bigger and bigger cushioned shoes because the body is absorbing impact inefficiently.
Instead, think lightness.
Quick contact.
Balanced placement.
Place the foot underneath the hips, feel the balance point, then lift away again. The movement is cyclical, elastic, almost like a wheel turning beneath you.
It is less of a reaching forward action and more of a swing back underneath the body. When this begins to happen naturally, the glutes and hip flexors wake up, posture improves, and running starts to feel smoother and quieter.
Running drills, strength work, balance, and mobility all help develop this feeling. Off-road terrain helps too. Trails, grass, mud, uneven ground — they teach awareness. The whole body has to participate. Balance becomes alive and reactive.
The body learns where it is in space.
I never really liked the phrase foot strike.
It sounds aggressive.
For me it is more about placement, balance, rhythm, and release.
Almost like the ground is hot,
Touch… and go.
1.9 quality is better than quantity
If you are training for a distance never attempted before, be really miserly with the extra distance each week. As Danny Dreyer said, if you finish your long run and think, “God, that was awful,” keep the distance the same for another week… or even step back a little. If you finish feeling strong, light, and with energy still left in the tank, then perhaps it is time to gently upgrade — and even then, only by the usual 10% or so.
Never worry about pegging things back. Training plans are useful, but we are subtle animals, not machines. The body whispers long before it screams. Patience matters. Adaptation takes time. Fitness grows in recovery as much as effort.
There is also something deeply yogic here. Yoga rarely forces; it refines. The process is less about conquering distance and more about learning relationship — relationship with effort, breath, fatigue, ego, and awareness. Too much too soon usually comes from grasping, from wanting to arrive before the body is ready.
Steady progression develops trust. You begin to sense the difference between healthy challenge and depletion. That awareness is part of practice. In many ways, the real skill is not pushing harder, but knowing when to hold steady.
“Patience, Shifu.”
1.10 we are made of water, hydrate
I once asked a dancer about preparation before a performance. They said simply, “hydrate.”
Not during.
Before.
That stayed with me.
If I’m going long — and by long I mean 2 to 2.5 hours, not ultra or marathon training — I hydrate properly the evening before, then again around 90 minutes before running. Usually a litre of matcha tea (“mission tea” ). By the time I head out I feel properly “sponged up.”
Unless it’s extremely hot, I often carry nothing at all. No gels, no bottles, nothing. Running light changes the whole feeling of the run.
As fitness improves, something interesting happens:
easy running becomes more efficient.
At genuinely easy aerobic effort the body becomes very good at using fat as fuel. The by-products are mainly carbon dioxide and water — much of which simply leaves through the breath. You begin wasting less energy, less fluid, and less movement.
This is why easy running matters so much.
There is also a difference between:
running because you are under-fuelled
and
running because your body has adapted.
For most easy runs under 2 hours, good preparation beforehand is often enough.
Beyond that? Different conversation entirely,
Longer duration, heat, intensity, carbs, electrolytes, fluids — all become more important.
But for everyday running this is a nice reminder:
don’t just think about drinking during the run.
Think about preparing the body before the run.
Basic?
Yes.
But important.
1.11 off road is nature
Once a week, find a nature trail and make it yours. Learn its rhythms. Love it. Notice everything about it — the changing seasons, the wildlife, the plants, the texture of the ground beneath your feet, even the subtle changes in your stride and posture as the terrain shifts.
Maybe add a few jumps for fun. Maybe there are inclines, dunes, ramps, roots, rocks or viewing points. Stop occasionally. Look around. Walk if you need to. There is no rush.
This change in terrain and texture is incredibly good for the joints, feet and nervous system. The body seems to wake up differently on natural ground. Small stabilising muscles switch on, awareness sharpens and the mind becomes more attentive.
The main reason I run on sand and dunes is joint health, not intensity or effort. I love the sea views, the wildlife and the feeling of moving through a living landscape. Interestingly, I rarely see runners leave the main path and head over the dunes
Running off road changes the relationship we have with movement. We stop trying to dominate the ground and instead begin responding to it. There is a conversation happening between body, breath and environment.
In many ways, this is yoga too — attention, awareness, adaptation and connection with nature. The trail becomes less about performance and more about relationship.
1.12 practice mind is Zen mind, beginner’s mind, Shoshin.
Every day you go out, it is a brand new experience, not the same old same old. Nothing remains the same.
The weather shifts.
The body shifts.
The breath shifts.
The mind shifts.
Even the trail beneath your feet slowly changes.
“No one steps into the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and they are not the same person.”
The problem is not repetition. The problem is thinking we already know.
The experienced runner who believes they have “seen it all” can easily stop noticing. Stop listening. Stop learning. But beginner’s mind stays open, curious, soft, attentive.
A simple easy run can suddenly become deeply interesting again. Rhythm feels different. Breath feels different. Light through the trees catches your attention. A small adjustment in posture changes everything.
This is why practice stays alive.
In yoga, we could say this is awareness free from clutter and projection. Meeting the moment as it actually is, not as memory says it should be.
Some days the run flows effortlessly. Some days it does not. Both are part of practice. Both teach.
A practice mind is a steady mind
thread 1.13:- right size a “bad run”
You ran. Well done.
There is a Buddhist teaching about the “two arrows of suffering.” The first arrow is the event itself — something uncomfortable happens, things feel heavy, slow, awkward, tired. Bad runs happen. Flat legs, busy mind, poor sleep, bad weather, no rhythm. That is the first arrow.
The second arrow is our response to it.
“This was pointless.”
“I’m getting worse.”
“I should have stayed home.”
“I’ve lost fitness.”
That second arrow is usually the one that hurts most.
Running quietly teaches mindset. A “bad run” can still be a meaningful run. You still practiced. You still moved. You still showed up. Sometimes the discipline of simply going out is the real training.
No need to beat yourself up anymore. No-one was watching anyway ๐
And often, strangely, those difficult runs are part of the thread that later creates resilience, steadiness, and trust.
Right size the experience.
Not every run has to become a life evaluation.
thread 1.14:- REST
yes in bold and capitals. These tips are in no order, but this one matters. A top end runner who trained with the Kenyans once said, “if there was a gold medal for sleeping, the Kenyans would win.”
Not phone rest.
Not scrolling rest.
Not “I’m resting” while your mind is still racing.
Real rest. Offline rest. Quiet rest. Deep sleep.
Recovery is not separate from training, it is training. Adaptation happens afterwards, in the stillness. Fitness is built not only through effort, but through the quality of recovery that follows it.
One of the biggest changes in my own life has been protecting sleep and protecting quiet. Less stimulation, less distraction, less grabbing for the phone every spare moment. The nervous system settles. The mind settles. The body responds.
We live in a world addicted to noise and input, but runners, movers, yogis… we should remember the value of deliberate stillness. Sometimes the most disciplined session of the day is simply going to bed early
Rest is not laziness.
Rest is preparation.
Rest is practice too.
thread 1.15:- walking is our physiological reset and hygiene. Make walking the glue of all your movement practices. Walk.
Walking is our physiological reset and hygiene. Make walking the glue of all your movement practices. Walk.
Walk after meals. Walk before a run. Walk after a hard effort. Walk when stressed. Walk when thinking. Walk when you don’t know what to do next.
We can become obsessed with “training” and forget that human movement begins with walking. It is rhythmic, grounding, restorative and deeply natural. Walking regulates breathing, settles the nervous system, helps digestion, restores posture and reconnects us to our environment.
There is a wonderful book called that explores this beautifully. Walking has always been more than transport or exercise. Philosophers, poets, monks and pilgrims have all understood that walking changes the quality of thought itself.
Some of my best ideas, reflections and moments of clarity have arrived during simple walks, not during intense sessions.
Not every movement practice needs to be hard, measured or optimised. Sometimes the body simply wants to move at the speed of being human
thread 1.16:- Do not compare yourself un-favourably to other runners
You are what you are and where you are. You may improve or you may not, just enjoy what you and your body can do in the moment. Treat yourself kindly. Be compassionate with yourself.
There is lots here really. Compassion is not just something we offer externally, it begins from inside. In the Yoga Sutras, Sutra 1.33 points toward friendliness, compassion, joy and equanimity as ways of steadying and clarifying the mind. Running can absolutely become part of that practice.
Run kindly. Run softly. Be attentive.
A relaxed and content runner is often a fast runner, not because they are forcing the body, but because they are no longer fighting themselves internally. Tension, comparison and constant self-judgement consume energy. Compassion frees it.
Your body is not a machine to punish into submission. It is a living process, changing daily. Some days will feel light and effortless, others heavy and difficult. Both are valid. Both belong.
You do not need to “win” your run against somebody else’s pace, body, age, genetics, training history or social media highlight reel You simply meet yourself where you are, today.
That is enough.
