How To Put Prayer And Meditation In Your Fitness Routine

It’s January–time to shed those extra holiday pounds. Here’s how to make prayer and meditation part of your fitness routine.

Muddy woman running in steeplechase race, raising one hand and smiling — Image by RonRatte from Pixabay

In addition to a proper diet, regular exercise can help you get fit. But where does spirituality fit in? It’s been said, “You lose weight in the kitchen; you tone in the gym.” In this article, I’ll discuss how prayer and meditation can combine with exercise to form a complete spiritual practice.

When Exercise Becomes a Time for Prayer

At one time in my life, I was a runner. Because of a foot issue I developed, I don’t run anymore. But I still walk and hike (two separate things in my mind). I enjoy those times out on the trail when the rhythms of my footfalls combine with the patterns of my breath to create a meditative repetition. I love the feeling of my waistline growing leaner and my body growing stronger. My soul grows stronger too when exercise becomes a time for prayer.

Of course, you can use your time on the trail for freeform prayer. When it’s just you and God, you can say anything you want to. Unburden your concerns. Pray blessing for your loved ones. Seek wisdom and guidance. Those times of prayer are sweet. In addition, I found the Repetitive movement of running to be ideal for meditation. You can do the same.

The Pattern of Footfalls and Breaths

Whether you are running or walking, focus on the relationship between the pattern of your footfalls, and the rhythm of your breaths. After a good stretch, start slowly. During your warm-up, draw breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try inhaling, for the space of time it takes to go four steps. Repeat the same pattern as we begin your leisurely jog.

Maybe you set a timer to shift from warm-up to workout. Perhaps you are just aware when your body has shifted and you have moved to running mode. Your breathing has to shift as well. For me, the best pattern is to inhale through my nose for the duration of two footfalls. Then, I exhale through my mouth for the duration of three footfalls. In this way, I’m expelling CO₂ faster than I’m drawing in oxygen. You could try this, or the opposite pattern, breathing in for three steps, and out for two steps. This places the focus on drawing in more oxygen than you expel CO₂. Find the rhythm that works for you.

Silent Meditative Repetition

In terms of meditation, there’s something that feels different about an even pattern, like I described with the warm-up, and an odd pattern like I described for the rest of the run. Whatever pattern you decide to use, your body will tell you if it is right. Don’t use my patterns. Go with what works for you. But concentrate on the relationship between your breaths and your steps. Maintain that ratio with intentionality. Soon you will find that you can lose yourself in this silent meditative repetition. It will help you with any physical discomfort. You will find yourself getting into the zone, catching your second wind. Focusing on nothing but your footfalls and your breath, you can reach a place of wordless and even thoughtless meditation.

Meditating on Scripture

But perhaps wordless and thoughtless meditation is not for you on a particular day. Maybe you want your morning run to be a time to meditate on scripture. Pick a verse that is meaningful to you And repeat it as you go. You might find yourself chanting this verse in a rhythm that matches your steps and breaths. If it’s a walk or early in your warm-up, you might find it easy to repeat this verse aloud. If it’s a strenuous run, try repeating it mentally. Just match the rhythm of the words to the other rhythms in your body.

Scriptures for Meditation

Here are a few examples of scriptures that I use for combining exercise and scriptural meditation:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Mark 12:30).

…Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1a-2).

…Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed (Hebrews 12:12-13).

…Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20).

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.(2 Corinthians 4:16).

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17).

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18).

…Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Rom 12:1b).

…We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5b).

… All the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24b).

…Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 4:31).

One-Word or One-Sentence Prayers

These are just a few examples of scriptures you might use for meditation while you are running or walking. You may find you need to paraphrase or adjust the words according to the rhythm of your breathing. You might consider shortening some of these verses for easy recall. Over time, I found that the shorter the verse, the better. Often, I’ve found that I prefer one-sentence prayers and even one-word prayers. These help me focus less on the words, and more on the spirit behind the words.

Inspired Through Prayer and Meditation

Many have asked me what the difference is between prayer and meditation. In truth, they are so related that they are inseparable. Just as you need to inhale and exhale to breathe, you need to pray and meditate to become inspired (God-breathed). Simply put, prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God. Perhaps the verses I mentioned become your meditation—the way you hear from God. Or, these scriptures might be the words you use to talk with God. Either way, whether they are your prayer or your meditation, through repetition you will become inspired.

During this New Year season, many consider weight loss and better health. When you combine prayer and meditation with exercise, this is a good way to get inspired. You can focus not just on physical health, but spiritual health as well. I wish you a happy and healthy New Year.