chirunninga training program for effortless,

injury-free running

danny dreyer

Sounds True, Inc., Boulder, CO 80306© 2008 Danny Dreyer π Sounds True

All photos © Lori Cheung, thePortraitPhotographer.com

SOUNDS TRUE is a trademark of Sounds True, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this booklet or CDs may be reproduced in any form or by any means (electronic or mechanical) including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author and publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-59179-653-4

For a free catalog of wisdom teachings for the inner life, please contact:Sounds True / PO Box 8010 / Boulder CO 80306-8010(800) 333-9185www.soundstrue.com

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Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2How to Use This Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4General Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Basics of the Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Focus: Postural Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Focus: Lean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Focus: Upper Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Focus: Lower Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Focus: Breathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Pre-run Exercises: Preparing Yourself Mentally and Physically for ChiRunning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Body Looseners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Posture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Get Your Focuses in Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Keep Yourself Focused . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Cool Down and End of Run Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Stretching after You Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Customize Your Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sample Run: Beginner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Sample Run: Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30ChiRunning, ChiLiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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IntroductionEast Meets West in ChiRunning ChiRunning combines the inner focus and flow of T’ai Chi with the power and

energy of running. The result is a revolutionary running form and philosophy that

allows you to improve your form, eliminate pain and injury, and bring ease and

joyfulness to your running routine.

In China, T’ai Chi is considered to be the mother of martial arts. It dates back

more than 2,500 years and is practiced every day by millions of people in China

and around the world. Practiced both as a martial art and as a system for health

and longevity, T’ai Chi helps to increase one’s Chi energy through correct body

alignment and the relaxation of muscles and joints.

In T’ai Chi, every movement is a study of the balance between Yin, a contrac-

tive energy, and Yang, an expansive energy. In T’ai Chi there is a principle called

“Needle in Cotton” that explains how the body moves most efficiently. Imagine a

needle stuck vertically into a ball of cotton. The needle represents a centerline run-

ning vertically from your head to your foot along the central axis of rotation. This

“ Spiritual practice needs to be grounded in your body. When you recognize the

spirit in your body you bring heaven to earth.”

—Michael Tamura, You Are the Answer

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is Yin energy. The “ball of cotton” represents the rest of your body, or Yang energy.

Ideally, your central axis should remain strong and straight like a needle, while every-

thing else (shoulders, arms, hips, and legs) remains completely soft like cotton.

I remember watching my T’ai Chi master demonstrate this principle. As he moved

effortlessly, I thought to myself, “As a runner, what would happen if I did everything

he’s doing, except tilted my rotational axis forward instead of keeping it vertical?” The

answer was one of the biggest “a-ha” moments of my life! When I applied the “Needle

in Cotton” principle to my running, I found myself falling forward into my run with

my arms and legs completely relaxed and barely doing anything.

You may have experienced running as a wonderful sport associated with a high

level of injury. It’s not running that hurts your body; it’s the way you run. This

audio program will show you how to run faster and easier using less muscle power.

You’ll learn how to take the pounding out of running and smooth out your move-

ment on the ground, even on pavement. You’ll see a reduction in your post-run

recovery time because you’ll learn how to refrain from overusing your legs. You will

learn how to recover from, or avoid, many of the injuries common to most runners.

Most importantly, you will learn the tools to run for a lifetime, with less injury,

greater ease, and greater joy. I invite you into this mindful practice—one that will

have many applications to the rest of your life.

—Namaste, Danny

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How to Use This Program • Listen to Sessions One and Two so you’ll have a good feel for the

ChiRunning principles. As you listen, use this booklet to help reinforce

what you learn in each session.

• Pay special attention to the focuses. Session Two contains the specific

lessons to help you learn the ChiRunning form. Each lesson is called

a “focus” because it helps you focus on individually specific ways to

improve your running.

• Beforeyoubeginrunning,reviewallofthefocusesinSessionTwountil

you feel comfortable with them. Then, try the sample run at the end of

Session Two to help you embody what you have learned. Use your mind

to help you understand what each focus is teaching you and then allow

yourself to feel it in your body.

• Whenyouarereadytobeginrunning,followalongwiththeguidedprac-

tices in Session Three.

• Onceyouhavecompletedthisprogram,usetheguidedfocusesinSession

Three to customize your own running routine.

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General Tips Here are a few tips for making ChiRunning a part of your life for years to come.

• Don’t takeon toomuch too soonor you couldbe setting yourself up

for disappointment. Take your time learning this material. Practice the

ChiRunning focuses one at a time. When you feel confident with how

each focus is done, move on to the next one.

• When you’refirst learning theChiRunning technique,we recommend

you run on flat ground as much as possible. This will make it easiest for

your limbs to feel the new way to move.

• Startbyworkingonyourposturefocuses,not justwhenyou’regetting

ready to go for a run, but all day long. You can never practice this too

much or too often. Correct posture is the foundation of good, efficient

running form . . . and long-lasting health.

• Yourbodylearnsmuchmorequicklyandeasilybyrepetition,soprac-

tice each of the focuses discussed in the audio as often and as many

times as you can.

• This is a mind/body practice, so you will always be working to com-

bine the best efforts of your mind to give the correct direction to your

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body—and the best efforts of your body to follow the instructions as

closely as possible. Let your mind and your body communicate back and

forth so they can work together to master each focus.

• Ifyoufeelanydiscomfortorpainwhiledoinganyoftheseexercises,more

often than not it’s your body telling you that you’re doing something

incorrectly. Use body sensing to locate precisely where the discomfort is

coming from and address the cause.

The Basics of the TechniqueFocus: Postural Alignment

Posture plays a crucial role in making your running efficient and effortless.

The key is to position your body so that your weight is supported primarily

by the alignment of your skeleton instead of your muscles. In ChiRunning,

your propulsion is generated from the energy of falling forward; you are

allowing gravity to gently pull you along. Your legs are needed only momen-

tarily for supporting your body between strides.

With good postural alignment, you will be able to more easily engage grav-

ity as you run—which will help you conserve energy—and to find support

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without strain. In order to become a highly efficient

runner, it is important to have every part of your body

moving in the direction you’re heading. Posture is the

beginning of this “move” in the right direction.

Here are four easy steps to aligning yourself and your

posture before beginning your run so that you can

maintain proper posture while you’re running.

1. Align Your Legs: Rotate your legs medially until

your feet point forward (see Figure 1). (Note: if

this is uncomfortable, rotate your legs inward only

as far as you can. You should still feel more aligned

than you do in your normal stance.)

2. Lengthen Your Spine: Lengthen the back side

of your neck by lifting up with the crown of your

head. This will take some of the curve out of your

upper spine and increase your lung capacity. Imagine that you’re stretch-

ing your entire spine in an upward direction as if you’re trying to make

yourself taller.

Figure 1—Leg/foot alignment

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3. Level Your Pelvis: Lift up on the front side of

your pelvis by contracting your lower abdomi-

nal muscles (see Figure 2). It should feel like

you’re doing a “vertical crunch.” Do not level

your pelvis by contracting your glutes or it will

restrict your leg swing as you run. Leveling your

pelvis will engage your core muscles, which will

stabilize your pelvis during movement and pro-

tect your hips and legs from injury.

4. Connect the Dots: Once your pelvis is level, it

is important to make sure your shoulders, hip

bones, and ankles fall in a straight, vertical line

(see Figure 3). The easiest way to do this is to

place an index finger on your sternum and your

other hand on your belly. While tilting your

chest slightly forward, push your pelvis slightly

to the rear at the same time. This will bring your

shoulders directly over your hips and your hips

directly over your ankles, and you’ll have great Figure 2—Pelvis level:

containing Chi

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postural alignment. (Note: to check-in with your

posture after you’ve connected your dots, look down

to see if you can see your shoelaces. If you can, your

posture is in good shape. If you can’t, you’ll need to

hold your upper body even more forward, which is

the case with most people. If for anatomical reasons

you can’t see your shoelaces, you can always see if

your dots are connected by looking at a side view of

yourself in a full-length mirror.)

Focus: Lean

With ChiRunning, you’ll be creating your forward pro-

pulsion by surrendering to the pull of gravity instead

of pushing with your legs (as most people do). Stand

facing a wall, about one shoe-length away. Get into

your best posture stance and let your body tip forward

by relaxing your ankles. Catch yourself with your hands

(see Figure 4). If your heels come up off the ground as

you lean forward, you’ll need to practice relaxing your

Figure 3—Alignment of shoulders, hips,

and ankles

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ankles more until your heels stay down. This will train you to keep your

heels down as you lean forward when you run. (Note: While running, your

“full-body tilt” lean should be very slight [see Figure 5]—enough to engage

the pull of gravity but not so much that you have to tense your lower legs

to hold your lean. Maintain your balance as you lean.) When you lean, you

move forward. If you lean more, you’ll move forward faster.

Figure 4—Lean with relaxed ankles

Figure 5—The full- body tilt

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Focus: Upper Body

1. Arm Swing: Your arms should be bent

at 90 degrees and swing to the rear (not

forward) as you run. This will counter-

balance your forward lean. Keep your

arms bent and don’t let your hands

fall below your waist (see Figure 6) or

they will slow you down. Let your arms

swing from your shoulders.

2. Head Position: Keep the back of your

neck long and your chin slightly tucked.

3. Hand Position: Curl your fingers in

(see Figure 7) and keep them relaxed,

thumbs on top. Don’t let your hands

cross your centerline as you run.

4. Shoulder Position: Keep your shoul-

ders low, relaxed, and facing forward

at all times. Don’t let your upper body

rotate when you swing your arms.

Figure 6—Arm swing to the rear

Figure 7—Relaxed hands

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Focus: Lower Body

The trick to avoiding most of the leg injuries for which running is famous is to

refrain from using your legs when you run—for anything except support, that

is. Here are some focuses to help you relax your lower body while running.

1. The Ankle Lift: Stand in place and peel your heels off the ground, just like

you’d peel a postage stamp off a new roll. Keep your ankles relaxed while

doing this, and when your heel comes up, your toes will point toward the

ground. Feel how relaxed your entire lower leg is while you’re peeling up

your heels. Your lower legs should feel this relaxed during all phases of your

stride. Whenever you’re running, you should be thinking of your heels

coming up off the ground as you run. You should not be lifting your knees

while running, as this makes your running very inefficient.

2. Pelvic Rotation: When you run, allow your pelvis to rotate around its

central axis as your legs swing. This will reduce wear and tear on your

hips. Visualize your entire lower body, including your legs, swinging from

a point on your mid-spine (T12/L1). You can find this point in your

spine by finding your lowest rib and tracking the rib along your back to

this point in your spine. Visualize your legs always swinging to the rear

(not forward) as you run.

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3. Stride Length: As you lean more and pick up speed, your stride needs to

lengthen to accommodate your increase in speed. This is done by allow-

ing your pelvis to rotate more as your speed picks up. This is not a forced

thing; it is accomplished by progressively relaxing your lower back as you

run faster.

4. Cadence: IntheChiRunningtechnique,yourcadence(therateatwhich

your feet hit the ground, measured in strides per minute) always remains

the same while your stride either lengthens (for faster running) or shortens

(for slower running). To measure your cadence, count the number of times

one of your legs hits the ground during the course of one minute. Ideally,

your cadence should fall between 85-90 strides per minute. Try to hold

your cadence within this range no matter how fast or slow you’re running.

It is much easier on your legs and will prevent you from over-striding.

Focus: Breathing

Belly breathing is the best way to breathe when you’re running because it

ensures a complete exchange of fresh oxygen in your lungs with each breath.

Here’s how to do it.

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When exhaling, purse your lips as if you’re trying to blow out a candle,

and exhale through your mouth while pulling your stomach in toward your

spine. This will expel all the air out of your lungs from the bottom.

When inhaling, close your lips and breathe in through your nose, while

relaxing your diaphragm and allowing your belly to expand. This will fill

your lungs from the bottom, allowing fresh oxygen to get to the deepest part

of your lungs. Make your breathing rhythmical by breathing out for three

steps and in for two . . . out three and in two. This odd number of strides

allows you to breathe out on a different foot each time which prevents you

from over-focusing on the same foot. At higher exertion levels you can

switch your breathing pattern to breathing out for two steps and in for one.

Pre-run Exercises: Preparing Yourself Mentally and Physically for ChiRunning Body Looseners

Rather than stretching muscles before a run, in ChiRunning we loosen

joints. If your joints are tight, your muscles will have to work harder. These

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looseners are like oil on a hinge. When performed before running, they work

wonders toward creating a smooth and fluid stride. Having loose joints also

increases the flow of chi throughout your body.

1. Ankles: Put your toe on the ground just behind your opposite foot.

Keeping your toe on the ground, roll your ankle around in circles by

using the circular rotation of your knee to create the motion (see Figure

8). Do 10 clockwise circles and then 10 counter-clockwise. Switch legs

and repeat the exercise.

Figure 8—Ankle rolls

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2. Knees: Place your feet together and your hands on your knees and gently

move your knees around in clockwise circles, then reverse the direction

(see Figures 9–12). Do 10 in each direction.

Figure 9—Knee circles, right

Figure 10—Knee circles, back

Figure 11—Knee circles, left

Figure 12—Knee circles, front

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3. Pelvis/Sacrum: Place your hands on your hips. Keep your spine in a

vertical position and tip your pelvis forward, to the side, to the back, to

the opposite side, and then back to forward (see Figures 13–16). Do 10

full circles with your pelvis and then change direction. Keep your upper

body as motionless as possible when you’re moving your pelvis around

in circles.

Figure 13—Hips to the right

Figure 14—Hips to the back

Figure 15—Hips to the left

Figure 16—Hips to the front

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4. Spine: Stand with your feet together and your posture as upright as you

can make it. Interlock your fingers behind your head, with your elbows

out to the sides (see Figure 17). Keep your hips in a stationary position,

and rotate your upper body to the right. As you twist your upper body

around, drop your right elbow and raise your left elbow so that your

upper body is bent over to the side. When you twist around, look down

and try to see your opposite heel (see Figure 18). Hold this position for

a couple of seconds and then come back up to your starting position.

Figure 17—Upright posture

Figure 18—Twist right and look for your opposite heel

Figure 19—Twist left and look for your

opposite heel

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Do the same thing to the left side (see

Figure 19). Repeat this exercise three

times.

5. Pelvic Rotation: Stand with your feet

parallel and hip-width apart, then step

back with one of your feet so that your

feet are in a staggered stance. Lean

your upper body out over your for-

ward leg, keeping your spine straight.

Extend your arms out to your side

(see Figure 20). Level your pelvis and

begin to rotate your hips clockwise

then counter-clockwise in a back and

forth motion. Pretend you are doing

the twist with your hips. Make sure

you keep your pelvis level, not tilted

forward. Feel the twisting motion

originating from the point in your

mid-spine (T12/L1). Figure 20—Rotate

your hips

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6. Shoulders: Stand in a staggered stance. Keep your forward knee bent

and your rear leg straight, with your weight a little more over the front

foot than the rear one. Lean your upper body out over your forward leg,

keeping your spine straight (see Figure 21). Now let your neck, arms,

and shoulders totally relax while you gently snap your pelvis clockwise

then counter-clockwise in a back and forth motion. Keep your arms and

shoulders completely relaxed and let them be swung by the momentum

created by your rotating pelvis (see Figures 22–24). Feel the twisting

Figure 21—Staggered stance: front leg bent,

rear leg straight

Figure 22—Use your hips to swing

your shoulders

Figure 23—Rotate hips in opposite

direction

Figure 24—Allow your arms to

follow

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motion in your lower back and the relaxation in your shoulders. Let your

elbows bend as they swing behind your body so that the swinging motion

won’t pull on your shoulders. Repeat this exercise with your opposite

foot forward.

Posture

Align, lengthen, level, and connect the dots. Practice a few one-legged pos-

ture stances (as discussed in the audio) before you begin running.

Get Your Focuses in Mind

Commit to the focuses you’d like to practice (no more than two during any

given run) before you head out for your run. Review them by listening to

the ChiRunning audio or download your focuses onto an MP3 player and

take it with you as a reminder of what to do.

Keep Yourself Focused

Set your repeat-countdown timer to beep at one minute intervals. Hold

your focuses for one minute and then, when your watch goes off, clear your

mind and just enjoy your run for the next minute. When the watch goes off

after another minute, re-instate your focuses for the next minute. For more

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tips about how to use the focuses in your workout, refer to the Customize

Your Run section (page 28).

Cool Down and End of Run Review Always take time to cool down after a run. This will allow your muscles to

stay warm and help to circulate much of the metabolic waste out of your

system. At the end of your run, come into an easy jogging pace for about

three to five minutes. Let your body be very loose and relaxed all over.

Then, decrease your lean into a walking pace. As you walk, take a few min-

utes to think about how well you did with the focuses you picked. What did

you learn? What would you do differently next time? Later, write down any

notes that will help remind you of what is happening in your ChiRunning

practice and where you’d like to take it. By keeping a log or journal of your

journey toward better running, you can more easily track any improvements,

progress, or setbacks along the way.

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Stretching after You Run Stretching is an excellent tool for injury-prevention because it helps release

toxins from muscles and promotes flexible, relaxed muscles. We don’t gen-

erally recommend you stretch before running because it is too easy to pull a

muscle when your body is not warmed up.

To insure that all of your stretching is safe for you, follow these simple rules:

• Holdeachofthesestretchesfor30seconds.

• Begineachstretchbydoingitlightlyandslowly.Holditforafewsec-

onds and relax more deeply into it as your body allows. Don’t bounce

when you stretch or you could pull a muscle.

• Relaxandbreatheoutasyouinitiateeachstretch.

• Begin stretchingwithin10minutesafterendingyourwalk,whileyour

muscles are still warm.

• If you’ve never done a stretch in the following list before, read the

instructions very carefully and make sure you understand what to do.

Stretch lightly after your first few runs until you become more comfort-

ablewiththestretchingpositionsandthesequence.

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Here is a basic set of stretches to do after running.

1. Calf/Achilles Stretch:

Stand about two shoe-lengths away from a wall or the back of a chair with

your palms flat against the wall or rested on the chair back. Lean forward

keeping your heels on the ground and your forward knee bent (see Figure

25). Hold for 10 seconds and repeat three times on both sides.

2. Hip-Flexor and Psoas Stretch:

Rest one foot on the top of something that is knee-height (such as a chair)

and move your pelvis toward the heel that is raised. Hold for 10 seconds

and repeat three times on each leg. Keep your trunk vertical (see Figure 26).

Figure 25—Calf stretch: keep your heels down

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For an even better hip-flexor stretch, add a psoas stretch. Lock the elbow

of the arm that is on the same side of your body as the foot that is on the

ground and extend it over your head as you press your pelvis toward your

elevated heel. When your hip flexor feels like it’s at a maximum stretch, arch

your extended arm across your body and twist your upper body in the same

direction. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

3. Hamstring Stretch:

Place one heel on something that is hip-height (knee-level is ok if you

can’t get your foot hip-height). Keeping both knees straight and your

spine straight, bend at your hips and let your trunk fall toward your

Figure 26—Hip-flexor stretch: press your hips toward your heel

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raised leg. Bend over only as far as your hamstrings allow (see Figure

27). Hold for 20 seconds and repeat twice on each leg. You can also do

this stretch sitting on the ground with your legs extended out in front of

your body.

4. Adductor Stretch:

Sit on the ground with your knees straight and your feet spread as far apart as is

comfortable. Bending at the hips and holding your spine straight, try to touch

the toes on one foot for 20 seconds and then the other foot for 20 seconds.

5. Quadriceps Stretch:

With one foot on the ground, grab the ankle of your opposite leg with

Figure 27—Hamstring stretch: bend forward at the hips

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your hand and pull up on your heel. If you need to, you can stabilize

yourself by holding onto the wall or a chair. Keep your knees together

and pull your heel close to your gluteal muscles (see Figure 28). Gain

additional stretch by leveling your pelvis while holding your foot.

6. Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) Stretch:

This stretches the back muscles just below your shoulder-blades. Stand

tall, with your feet spread a little more than hip-width apart. Take one

arm and reach over your head and grab that wrist with your opposite

hand. Pull down on the crossed arm for 20 seconds, then repeat on the

other side.

Figure 28—Quadriceps stretch: for a better stretch, hold your knees together and level your pelvis

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7. Leg Drains:

Lie on your back with your feet propped up on a wall (see Figure 29). Let

yourself relax in this position for three to five minutes before getting up.

I often use the time to also do my end-of-run review.

Customize Your Run Creating your own customized runs is a great way to bring variety and

growth into your running routine. Here are two samples of the sequence

you would go through in preparing for, running, and transitioning after a

typical ChiRunning workout.

Figure 29—Leg drains: feet up for three minutes

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Sample Run: Beginner

• Reviewthefocusesyouintendtoworkon(chooseoneortwoandalternate

the focuses every minute)

• Dothebodylooseners

• Practiceyourposturestancebeforeheadingouttoyourrun

- Align your legs

- Lengthen your spine

- Level your pelvis

- Connect the dots

• Usingawatchwithacountdowntimer,setthealarmtobeepeveryminute

• Startataslow,relaxingpace

• Onceyoustartrunning,checkinwithyourposture

• Addinaslightlean

• Afterthefirstminutehaspassed,begintoinstateyourfirstfocus

• Forthatone-minuteinterval,concentrateonlyonthespecificfocusyou

picked for your running session. Try not to let your mind get distracted

by anything else. This will be your mantra for one minute.

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• Whenyourwatchbeepstotellyouyourminuteisup,letyourmindrest

for the next minute, until the beep goes off again. Then, hold your focus

for the next minute.

• Repeatthiscycleforthedurationofyourrun.

• Attheendofyourrun,reduceyourspeedtoaneasycool-downpacefor

three minutes.

• Walkforthreeminutesanddoanendofrunreview

• Doyourstretches

• Smile,andtakeinwhatyoujustdid.

As you become more comfortable with each of the individual focuses, you can

alternate between two focuses for the first two-thirds of your run, and combine the

focuses in one minute focus/rest intervals for the remaining one-third of your run.

Sample Run: Advanced

• Reviewthefocusesyouintendtoworkon(chooseoneortwoandalter-

nate the focuses every minute)

• Dothebodylooseners

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• Practiceyourposturestancebeforeheadingouttoyourrun

- Align your legs

- Lengthen your spine

- Level your pelvis

- Connect the dots

• Startataslowrelaxingpace

• Onceyoustartrunning,checkinwithyourposture

• Addinaslightlean

• Begintoinstateyourfirstfocus

• After10minutes,dropthefirstfocusandinstateyoursecondfocus,peri-

odically checking in again with your posture and your lean

• Afterspending10minutesonyoursecondfocus,engagebothfocusesat

the same time and hold them for the next 10 minutes

• Reduceyourspeedtoaneasycool-downpaceforthreeminutes

• Walkforthreeminutesanddoanendofrunreview

• Doyourstretches

• Smile,andtakeinwhatyoujustdid

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ChiRunning, ChiLivingChiRunning is all about creating the right conditions for chi to flow in your

running and in your life. It can feel like a lot to learn. However, you’ll soon

see that just one or two focuses can make a big difference. The essence is to

get aligned but stay relaxed. This can be applied to every level of your life

physically, mentally, and emotionally; and can become a practice to trans-

form any activity.

Everything you need to enjoy a lifetime of healthy, injury-free running

is here, but it won’t happen without consistent practice on your part. So

take your time. Have fun! Be easy on yourself in this learning process. Trust

your body to tell you when you’re doing it right and when you still need

more practice, and trust your mind to know the difference.

Running is the practice, mindfulness is the path, mastery is the goal . . .

and creating the conditions for energy to flow is the key.

For more information and support for your ChiRunning program, visit

www.chirunning.com or call toll-free 1-866-327-7867.

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About the AuthorsDanny Dreyer, the founder and coach

of ChiRunning, has been running for 37

years and coaching for 20 years. He is the

co-author of ChiRunning: A Revolutionary

Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running

and ChiWalking: The Five-Step Method for

Lifelong Health and Energy.

Katherine Dreyer has been a visionary business leader in the health and

natural products field for 25 years and is co-author of the ChiRunning

and ChiWalking books. She is the producer of all the ChiRunning and

ChiWalking learning materials, and has carried the vision of bringing this

work to the public at large.©

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