Sport in moderation is healthy and makes the body fit, but meditating is also good for our stressed-out personalities. The only problem here is sitting still. That is why experts like Prof. Dr. Petra Jansen, psychologist and holder of a chair for sports science at the University of Regensburg, advise „Mindful Running“, an alternative to jogging, especially for people with diabetes, because normal jogging also lowers the blood sugar level. The new trend is also something for our anxiety-stress society because it longs for a balance. So-called mindfulness exercises release fear and stress, as Hanna Tempelhagen from Hamburg, who is a trained mindfulness teacher (MBSR) and „Mindful Running Coach“, also knows. This new sport combines meditation and movement so that people learn to pay attention and control their emotions again. It is important that people do not look at the clock when doing Mindful Running, so it is better not to wear a watch; training is best done three times a week for 20 minutes or more each time. One should also not get out of breath. At the beginning of the training, there is a so-called body scan, which means that the person concerned should feel the tension and allow relaxation. Conscious inhalation and exhalation and concentration on environmental stimuli, such as the twittering of birds, are also important. But it is very important to choose an anchor. In doing so, you concentrate on your feet, for example, so that your thoughts do not keep wandering off. If you follow all these rules and guidelines, especially as a beginner, this calms the mind, improves body awareness and concentration. Afterwards, as reported by a tester of the sport, Andrea Mayer-Halm, author of the report on Mindful Running, one has reached a noticeably lower stress level.
