Running and Witness Consciousness

This morning I chose the northern route from the 8th and Market station, straight up 8th, and into the colder, blander, concrete covered edge of Center City. Under the 676 overpass and then left on Callowhill. There is no beauty here, but there are wide sidewalks with few pedestrians. It's smooth sailing all the way to work on Callowhill. The sidewalks are mostly broken, some treacherous. And then patches of evidence that this is not a completely forgotten, or abandoned zone.

As I am about to make that left onto Callowhill, I realize I've been repeating a stanza from a chant.

Muktananda maha, jaya sadguru bhagavan.

I'm not sure when it began to play in my mind, but I pick it up and sing along, silently. The sounds and syllables remind me, show me, that what I am seeing with my eyes simply is. As I continue moving I have the following thought:
As a form of meditation, running naturally pulls us into a deeper state. The deep focus on breath, stride, balance, form, combine to separate us from the seer we usually identify with, and draws us closer to the Seer; the consciousness that is detached from what is perceived.

This makes me realize that as pleasant as it is to run in the forest, running on these broken sidewalks is not unpleasant. Hardly! And running in those trees has never brought me this kind of joy. It's as if feeling great joy or sadness, or anything as a result of the physical environment while running, is impossible. While running, joy wells up from inside, and that joy is far superior to any joy influenced by sight.

This is why I run. It’s one thing to think or even meditate, while sitting still in a quiet place. There are some spaces that foster contemplation; a park bench in a pretty grove on a warm spring day, or a meditation room complete with a soft cushion and imagery that beckons one into a blissful state. But the experienced yogi will quickly remind us that the goal is to be able to mediate anywhere, at any time. Meditation for the sake of meditation is blissful and beneficial, but if I can recall my meditative state the middle of a work conflict, well, then I’ve managed to grasp the purpose of it all, and maybe even slip into the truly sublime.

Are these broken sidewalks an ideal place to meditate? Would I dare sit down on the curb and close my eyes? There is no need when I’m running! When I’m finally in shape and the steps feel effortless, even energizing, it’s just a flip of a switch and I’m in my own piece of heaven. Isn’t that the goal? To be happy in the midst of chaos or dismay? To be in tune with reality in whatever its detail and yet still at peace?

My mind wanders to other activities. Paddling my old canoe on a glassy lake at sunset. Walking quietly with my daughter’s tiny hand in mine. Watching my dear wife from a distance and suddenly welling up with a feeling of deep love. Words flowing effortlessly from my mind onto a phone screen. Meditation and contemplation are great, but my deepest joy seems to release while doing. While being engaged in the world in a tangible way that combines both thought and action.

Witness consciousness.

The witness place inside you is simple awareness, the part of you that is aware of everything — just noticing, watching, not judging, just being present, being here now.
Ram Das - Cultivating the Witness

I have edited this post to include only my own images taken along the described route.