Preview: Commitment to enhancing personal agency for health, wellness, well-being can be activated through a combination of exercise movement/concentration practices, plus evidence-based dietary and nutritional choices. Mood, energy level, mental clarity, memory and a variety of cardiac and metabolic metrics can be improved as a result of these practice choices. The visible measurable results can be surprisingly beneficial.

The dharma wanderer has shared multiple takes on the meditative movement practice he has explored and personally refined over more than four decades. This practice simultaneously combines repetitive movement, deep breathing in rhythm with movement and carefully formulated aspirational goals, affirmations, mantra and prayer repeated in rhythm with breath and movement.

His refinement of this practice has evolved over the past several years into a meditative movement/concentration practice that excludes aspirational formulations.

This post covers several topics:

1. First, a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson on walking and the dharma wanderer’s commentary about key words in the quote.
2. Second, he shares a reply from Perplexity.AI to his query on Emerson and Thoreau’s appreciation of walking.
3. Third, he provides a brief overview and commentary on the original meditative movement practice as it is described at ReadyForBetterMethod.com.
4. Fourth, he introduces his current meditative movement/concentration practice that excludes verbal concepts during the mastery stage. This fourth section describes the health, wellness and well-being benefits he has gleaned from his shift to a concentration/movement practice using High Intensity Interval Training [HIIT].

1 Tennyson on Walking

“A kind of walking trance I have frequently had, quite up from boyhood, when I have been all alone. This has often come upon me through repeating my own name to myself silently till, all at once, as it were, out of the intensity of the consciousness of individuality, the individuality itself seemed to dissolve and fade away into boundless being; and this not a confused state, but the clearest of the clearest, the surest of the surest, the weirdest of the weirdest, utterly beyond words, where death was an almost laughable impossibility, the loss of personality (if so it were) seeming no extinction, but the only true life.

Depend upon it, the spiritual is the real; it belongs to one more than the hand and the foot. You may tell me that my hand and my foot are only imaginary symbols of my existence. I could believe you, but you never, never can convince me that the I is not an eternal reality.”

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson (Poet 1809 – 1892)

IB Commentary

Tennyson wrote the above quote in his journal more than two centuries ago. Repeating his name is similar to the repetition of an affirmation or mantra without the attendant aspirational aspect. His description of boundless being connotes pure awareness in the present moment. Characterizing his experience as being beyond words places it in a potentially mystical space of consciousness. The loss of personality implies the absence of ego, possibly similar to the non-dual awareness cultivated by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. In contrast with secular materialists, Tennyson expresses his conviction that the spiritual is real.

2 Emerson and Thoreau on Walking

A query by the dharma wanderer to Perplexity about Emerson and Thoreau on walking yielded this AI answer. Below are a selection of quotes from the AI link.

“The transcendentalists deeply valued walking in nature and extensively documented the awarenesses and insights that arose during these walks. This practice was central to their philosophy and spiritual practice, not merely recreational.”

“Thoreau was a prodigious walker who considered the practice essential to his well-being and wrote extensively about it in his essay ‘Walking’ (1851), which he considered foundational to all his future writings.”

“Emerson believed that walking in nature allowed one to transcend the material world and encounter divine truth.”

“The transcendentalists meticulously documented their experiences and insights during walks. They wrote extensively about specific awarenesses that arose during their walks in nature. These included:”

• an intense feeling of freedom while in natural wildness
• present moment awareness in which emphasis on mindful presence in nature anticipated modern walking meditation practices
• the experience of nature as a direct pathway to the divine
• walks in nature facilitated deep self-reflection and personal revelation
• they valued nature as a healing practice, a way to be reborn, to be cured

3 The Meditative Movement Practice As Originally Formulated

Tai chi, chi gong and flow yoga, are practices that involve meditative movement. Alternatively, the dharma wanderer explored and refined his own meditative movement practice to include jogging while being spiritually isolated his own personal bubble of awareness. This was stimulated in part by his discovery of a paperback titled The Zen of Running that is now out of print.

The dharma wanderer added aspirational goals, affirmations, mantra and prayers to the zen running practice and began freely sharing it with anyone who might have interest. His value proposition for this method went significantly beyond the benefits of cardio exercise to include enhanced focus, commitment, learning and growth of brain cells, as well as unexpected synchronicities and surprising serendipity discoveries.

He kick-started this sharing in a single workshop he presented in 1984. From 1986-1992, he shared the meditative movement practice with field service nuclear engineers in high risk areas of nuclear service and decontamination. In 1993, he began sharing it with corporate executives and managers in China. In 2017, his sharing expanded to a carefully designed website, and in 2023 to the birthing of this substack publication, IB Reflections.

Meditative movement strengthens commitment to aspirational intention and real world problem solving, but it also carries a complementary risk of attachment to personal goals. Practitioner improvements in cognitive executive function enable achievement of goals based in the relative world. But attachment to such goals can also generate suffering that arises from unavoidable impermanence. That which is desired cannot last. It morphs and changes as weeks and months pass. Once gained, personal satisfaction tends to wither over time.

New needs and wants continue arise. These can be programmatically inputted via meditative movement and can often be achieved. The paradox is they will often wither on the myriad vines of impermanence that arise from unsustainable and unending desires.

Even so, according to the dharma wanderer’s direct experience…

… this meditative movement method is a powerful enabler of what is traditionally considered to be “success”.

Relative world success includes earning a livelihood, sustaining enduring relationships, as well as cultivating health, wellness and well-being. These are all legitimate and worthwhile goals that can be more readily achieved by simultaneously combining repetitive movement and rhythmic breathing with carefully formulated aspirations.

This does not complete the fulfillment of a lifelong Journey.

4 A Concentration/Movement Practice Without Words

Insightful meditative movement practitioners may tend to gain a broader, deeper and less materialistic perspective as they accumulate achievement of their goals and objectives. Wise practitioners, as their lives unfold decade by decade, will eventually recognize that achieving more can become an endless pursuit that reinforces attachment, thereby contributing to personal dissatisfaction and suffering, aka dukkha.

Instead, the solace of present moment satisfaction and contentment, punctuated by insightful awareness, can enable a gentle flow of being in the present moment without ego or attachment. This is said to be the unfolding path to enlightened buddhahood. According to the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, our buddha mind has been available from the beginning. When we access our natural state of being without the obscurations of negative emotions and attachments we can enter a flow state, aka rigpa.

Rigpa flow states enable access to guidance from what quantum scientists call the quantum field, and what Tibetan Buddhists call primordial wisdom. This can be experienced as a momentary nonverbal knowing of what, how and when to do.

The dharma wanderer’s meditative movement practice has evolved over the past several years into a concentration practice that excludes repetition of goals, affirmations, mantra or prayer. It has become a meditative/concentration practice using on high intensity interval training [HIIT] that alternates jogging/running with walking/recovery.

The practice requires intense concentration that focuses on managing the dynamic respiratory requirements of vigorous movement replenished by walking recovery. The vigorous movement practice strengthens aerobic respiratory capacity while also developing capability for intense concentration of attention.

The dharma wanderer engages in this concentration/movement practice 3-4 times a week on the Monterey Bay Marine Trail. Amidst unusually beautiful natural scenery, his conditioning has developed to the degree that he can approximate a 1:1 ratio for interval duration of jogging/running and walking/recovery.

During a typical exercise session there is no monkey mind, no mental chatter, almost no mental thoughts or emotions. There are three components to this concentration practice:

• deep breathing characterized by intentionally deep inhales and vigorous exhales
• short intervals of jogging/running alternated with approximately similar intervals of walking/recovery
• focused observation and dynamic response to the internal regulatory mechanism that balances these complementary intensities of movement.

During these exercise sessions, it seems the dharma wanderer achieves a state of no mind/no thought similar to what was clearly expressed decades earlier in The Zen of Running. The concentration practice is simple: 1) repetitive movement; 2) regulation of the breath to accommodate respiratory needs; and 3) the choice to jog/run or walk/recover.

Experiencing this no mind/no thought state on a regular basis during exercise enables a more frequent similar experience during daily activities. Guidance from the great beyond, aka primordial wisdom, is more likely arise as needed. An intuitive knowing of what, how and when to do is often available as needed. The dharma wanderer’s normative experience of daily living is without stress or anxiety. Instead there are delightful moments that arise unexpectedly, as well as synchronicities that seem to signal alignment of body/mind/speech with principles of the dharma.

It has taken several years for the dharma wanderer, an aging baby boomer, to reach this state of mindfulness, physical conditioning and aerobic respiratory capacity. His carefully formulated dietary and nutraceutical regimen contributes to improvements in his physical conditioning and energetic potential. This continues to evolve as he gleans evidence-based recommendations arising from research on exercise physiology, physical health, nutrition and nutraceuticals.

This report of the dharma wanderer’s current status is not boasting. It is, rather, a witnessing of the benefits his current practice(s) have contributed to the dissolution of his past suffering and discontent arising from stress, anger and anxiety.

Q: Why is regulating the breath important?

The essence of mindfulness meditation involves observing the breath, noticing when thoughts and feelings arise in awareness and then intentionally returning awareness to the breath. The dharma wanderer’s meditative movement practice can be updated into a focused concentration practice that avoids verbal input. Movement/concentration can be used to gradually increase aerobic capacity and strength as well as dissolve obscurations to awareness.

Deeper inhalations enable increased uptake of oxygen. Forceful exhalations enable carbon dioxide to be expelled more efficiently. This enables a greater volume of fresh air with each inhalation. This supports a rapid increase in oxygen supply to working muscles, helping to delay fatigue and maintain higher output during vigorous exercise, including strength training.

Q: How does the conditioning process unfold?

Mitochondria provide the energy production infrastructure for cellular metabolism. Mitochondria require oxygen to produce ATP [adenosine triphosphate], the fundamental fuel for most cellular metabolic processes. Vigorous inhalation and exhalation enable greater energy expenditure for the muscular work of high intensity intervals and strength training.

Repeated conditioning trials over time enable the growth of more mitochondria [mitochondrial biogenesis]. Increases in mitochondria, combined with helpful nutrition and sufficient protein, enable even more energy production by muscle cells.

The fuel production process for muscular exertion can be further enhanced by nutraceuticals such as B complex vitamins, coenzyme Q10, creatine monohydrate, taurine and acetyl L-carnitine. It is important for practitioners to ingest sufficient protein, especially leucine, the most important amino acid for enabling muscle protein synthesis.

Enhanced oxygen uptake, expelling of carbon dioxide, increases in mitochondrial production of ATP, combined with enabling nutrition, are a powerful formula for enhanced conditioning and improved cardio/metabolic health, wellness and well-being.

Q: What are the possible successive stages for HIIT conditioning?

Separating the transition from moderate exercise to more vigorous movement should be undertaken sensitively in small steps. The dharma wanderer experienced multiple micro-steps or stages as he progressed from brisk walking to HIIT over a period of several years:

• walking at a moderate pace while mindfully regulating the breath;
• walking at a brisk pace while intentionally inhaling more deeply and exhaling more forcefully;
• after sufficient warm-up, alternating a slow jog/short stride with moderate pace walking recovery, continuing to use deep inhales and forceful exhales;
• after sufficient warm-up, alternating a faster jog/short stride with moderate pace walking recovery, continuing to use deep inhales and forceful exhales;
• after sufficient warm-up, alternating a faster jog/longer stride and moderate pace walking recovery, continuing to use deep inhales and forceful exhales;
• after sufficient warm-up, using somewhat faster run intervals alternating with a moderate pace walking recovery, continuing to use deep inhales and forceful exhales; and
• after sufficient warm-up, increasing the pace and/or duration of run intervals alternating with a moderate pace walking recovery, continuing to use deep inhales and forceful exhales.

Q: What are useful measurements to monitor to assess progress?

It is highly useful to monitor heart rate and duration of walk/run intervals using a smart watch and/or chest strap. Some smart watches enable an expanded set of metrics, including distance, pace, heart rate graphs, calories consumed, and more. Tracking these metrics over time enables increased awareness of the variables that support or hinder the progress of conditioning.

Examining the heart rate variability graph produced by a smart watch’s integration with a companion mobile phone can enable a count of the number of intervals for a given conditioning session. Over a period of several years, the dharma wanderer has expanded the number of his run intervals for a given exercise session in stages that progressed from 4 to 8, 12, 15, 18 and 20+.

Monitoring the metrics of conditioning enables progress at a practitioner’s own pace. For sedentary individuals it is highly advisable to obtain a health check and EKG from your primary care physician first and a periodic repeat of this health check. This can be important for everyone, including those who regularly exercise.

It is vitally important to listen to messages from your body. Pay attention to the signals your body gives you about when to pause an interval and enable recovery. For older individuals, it better to feel when to start/stop an interval, rather than push yourself to achieve a timing goal or objective.

Practice Tips:

• Focus on deep breathing to maximize oxygen uptake by the lungs.
• Allow time for recovery between intervals within a session, as well as between sessions.
• Alternate HIIT with resistance/strength training on separate days.
• Stretching all major muscle groups in the opposite direction of contraction immediately after exercise is highly important to reduce delayed onsite muscle soreness [DOMS] and maintain elasticity of connective tissue.
• ALERT! Not stretching significantly increases risk of brittle connective tissue that can tear or break.

Q: As an older retired male who tended to exercise previously when work permitted it, what do you now perceive to be the benefits of HIIT and resistance training?

The dharma wanderer has been surprised at the progress he has made in pace, duration and number of intervals in an exercise session. Sufficient dietary and supplemental nutrition has contributed measurably to this progress. His energy level and mood have improved dramatically. His mental clarity, alertness and memory have improved. The combination of alternate day HIIT/strength training with evidence-based choices for diet and nutraceuticals has brought significant benefit.

Beyond cardiac conditioning and mitochondrial biogenesis, the dharma wanderer has also been able to improve muscular conditioning, strength and hypertrophy of his upper and lower body.

His blood test results confirm significant cardiac and metabolic improvements, including the traditional blood glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, plus two new and strategically critical lipofractionation measures: sdLDL and the number of LDL particles. Recent research indicates these latter two measures are the most directly associated with undesirable cardiovascular events.

This post provides case study evidence for enhanced longevity and healthspan metrics arising from a combination of HIIT, strength training and evidence-based nutritional choices, certainly a desirable goal for most retirees.

See Rhonda Patrick Ph.D.’s brief video reports on the latest research validating the strategic value of high intensity HIIT exercise for [1] all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and [2] cancer.

Q: Please compare traditional mindfulness meditation with your previous meditative movement practice and your current concentration/movement practice.

These three practices bring successive benefits:

Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness meditation cultivates awareness of thoughts and feelings while calmly seated. This cultivates the relaxation response, increased vagal tone and activation of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system [ANS]. It apparently does little, however, to enhance physical conditioning beyond better stress management.

Meditative Movement [R4B]: The meditative movement practice activates the “fight or flight” response of the sympathetic branch of the ANS. Jogging improves aerobic fitness and a decrease of stress metabolites. The repetitive input of goals, affirmations, mantra or prayer while jogging [silent/aloud/visual] eventually supports whole brain immersion and embodiment of the practitioner’s carefully formulated intentions. While this tends to enable relative world “success”, it can also create suffering from the attachments that arise. Even so…

… awareness that arises from mindfulness meditation and meditative movement can also enable access to guidance from the quantum field, aka primordial wisdom.

Concentration/Movement: Mindfulness meditation and meditative movement enable clarification and embodiment of purpose and intention. The updated movement/concentration HIIT practice enables more frequent moments and enduring periods of no mind/no thought, thereby enhancing access to primordial wisdom available from the surrounding quantum field. This acceleration of the unfolding growth process reveals latent practitioner potentialities that were previously obscured by mental chatter, ego-based attachments and negative emotions.

The dharma wanderer’s current concentration practice relies on vigorous breath regulation during nonverbal HIIT and resistance training. These two practices have accelerated significant reductions in monkey mind chatter and increased sensitivity to guidance from the great beyond, aka primordial wisdom and the quantum field.

Case Study Conclusions

Human consciousness, health, wellness and well-being can be powerfully impacted by a variety of meditative/concentration and dietary/nutritional practices.

These practices include:

• aerobic reprogramming can be formulated to counteract and dissolve unhelpful prior conditioning from parents, school, mainstream media and culture
• meditative movement combined with rhythmic breathing can enable helpful manifestation using carefully formulated positive goals, affirmations, mantra and prayers
• as awareness, vigorous breath regulation and conditioning improve, eliminating verbal programming and concentrating focus on pace, length of stride, movement and momentary recovery increases the likelihood of experiencing zen mind states of empty awareness that enable access to primordial wisdom from the surrounding quantum field
• gradually shifting to high intensity interval training [HIIT] several times per week in small steps and manageable stages enhances conditioning, respiratory fitness [VO2 max] and key metrics for longevity and healthspan [see above links from Rhonda Patrick PhD]
• resistance training two times per week [preferably to begin with advisory support from a knowledgeable trainer] can gradually increase weight, reps or sets in separate stages over time to build strength and hypertrophy
• Shifting to evidence-based nutrition that includes sufficient total protein for muscle protein synthesis [as well as the specific amino acid leucine] enables improvement in strength and hypertrophy
• Consistent stretching after vigorous movement and strength training reduces muscle soreness and helps sustain connective tissue elasticity.

Summary: Commitment to enhancing personal agency for health, wellness, well-being can be activated through a combination of exercise movement/concentration practices, plus evidence-based dietary and nutritional choices. Mood, energy level, mental clarity, memory and a variety of cardio and metabolic metrics can be improved as a result of these practice choices. The visible measurable results can be surprisingly beneficial.

Please feel free to share this information with family and friends.

May all beings benefit from wise choices that enhance their health, wellness, well-being and healthspan.

🙏💕🌎

ib