At the beginning of the ChiRunning book one of my favorite concepts is introduced: “Your biography becomes your biology” [1]. We all have a biography that shapes our present moment, both physically and mentally. The good news is that “with a little patience and perseverance” we have the ability to add new choices and habits to our biography, providing far-reaching benefits to our health, fitness and well-being.

I was a very active kid and enjoyed a lot of different sports and activities. But as a teenager, running was one activity I did not enjoy. It was only a necessary means of conditioning for other high school sports. In my 20s, my biography presented itself in the form of significant postural mis-alignment and imbalance. Challenged to enjoy almost any physical activity without the fear of the resulting aches and pains, I was fortunate to be introduced to a posture therapy approach called The Egoscue Method in my early 30s. The method uses simple exercises to gradually re-align a person’s posture into a functional state. In a relatively short period of time I was pain-free and enjoying more and more physical activity.

Running eventually entered the picture as a way to engage my improving mobility, and to release the stress of a type A personality and challenging career. My running quickly developed into over-training and then over-racing.  After ignoring my body’s warning signs, I sustained nagging injuries and had a hard time running consistently. Two years later, a fellow runner said a few magical words to me: “Oh, you are an injured runner? You have to get this book … ChiRunning.”  The pages turned themselves as I absorbed common sense principles that provided the answers I was looking for – not only for my running form but also for my running philosophy.

By applying the ChiRunning principles, I have run injury-free with significantly less effort ever since. But there is always a new challenge that turns each run into an enjoyable adventure. The concept of a running ‘practice’ maintains a focus on consistent gradual progress. This big picture view is now much more important to me than any mile marker or split time. Most incredibly, I can run farther and faster than I could before with minimal recovery time. And the addition of ChiWalking provides its own unique challenges. It provides a slower motion practice and also the opportunity to be conscious of my movement with every step I take. In a way, I get to practice my running all day long.

ChiRunning and ChiWalking also teach me as much about myself and my life as they do about how to move my body. Interestingly, I have learned to mentally push/pull/force less, to cooperate more and oppose less, to be more aware of staying in balance, and to act based on what is truly important and stay flexible about everything else. The simple skill of being able to focus my mind supports increasingly bigger and better decisions in many areas of my life. Developing a better connection between my mind and my body creates a sense of awareness and coordination, adding to the much needed concept of balance.

My website is www.eChiFitness.com. Catchy? Maybe. It is an abbreviation for EnerChi Fitness, the name of my company. But there is a deeper meaning behind this website name. “eChi” (pronounced ee-chi and more traditionally spelled y’chi, [2]) is a term that means “the combination of a focused mind and a responsive body.” It is the primary state from which we find ourselves moving without effort, both physically and mentally. Wherever you are in your biography, there is no doubt that “a little patience and perseverance” can move you in the direction of y’chi with far-reaching benefits to your biology.

As a ChiRunning/ChiWalking Instructor, I am humbled by the opportunity to share and to facilitate choices that can have a dramatic effect on the health, fitness and well-being in people’s lives. I continue to experience the effects first hand, and every day I look forward to learning from and being energized by what is possible for all of us.

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[1] ChiRunning, A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running, page 2 (quote attributed to Carolyn Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit).
[2] ChiRunning, A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running, page 44.

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David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

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