The Tonglen Run: Meditation in Motion

Yoddha Mind is now live on Insight Timer, and the first track I’ve shared isn’t your typical sit-still-and-breathe type of thing. It’s a running meditation—grounded in an ancient Buddhist practice called Tonglen.

But before I explain what that is, let me give you some context.

 From Combat to Compassion

I used to fight.

I wasn’t some big-name professional, but I got to a decent level as an amateur MMA fighter. I earned silver at the Irish Open in 2016, and broke my nose pretty badly in the final. I remember that day vividly—not just because of the blood and adrenaline, but because it was the day I fully committed to meditation.

I had been listening to Mental Combat by Phil Pierce while preparing for the competition, trying to find something to help me manage the intense mental noise before fights. Anyone who’s stepped into a cage knows—this isn’t your average sport. MMA is built around not avoiding physical violence. It exposes your nervous system to a level of intensity that’s hard to explain. And the mental side of it? It’s huge.

So I started meditating.

At first, it was just to deal with the pre-fight jitters. But almost immediately, I realised this practice had benefits that went way beyond sports performance. It changed how I reacted to stress. How I spoke to myself. How I walked through the world.

And that set me off on a journey.

Hundreds of books. Retreats. Sitting for long hours in silence. Slowly shifting how I relate to discomfort, pain, even joy.

 Building Practice into Life

Not long after I started meditating, I was working at EA Games and ended up organising a meditation group at the office. That little experiment opened some unexpected doors for me. Eventually, I trained as an MBCT teacher under Dr. Patrica Collard—someone I have deep respect for.

Of all the schools of thought I explored, secular Buddhism made the most sense to me. And the science-based approaches—like MBSR and MBCT—resonated most. I like keeping things grounded. That doesn’t mean I’m closed off to bigger ideas. I know paradigms shift, and I keep my heart open to that. But I want the practices I teach to rest on solid ground. That shows in every meditation I share.

 Enter: Tonglen

One practice that stood out for me—both philosophically and practically—is Tonglen.

It’s a Tibetan Buddhist meditation where you breathe in discomfort, and breathe out relief. Inhale: the pain, the fear, the heat. Exhale: spaciousness, compassion, healing.

It sounds counterintuitive. And that’s kind of the point. Instead of resisting suffering, you open to it—and move through it.

I started playing with the idea of applying Tonglen while running. Not sitting. Not cross-legged. Just breathing through motion.

And to my surprise—it worked.

 The Tonglen Run

The result is something I now call The Tonglen Run—a 28-minute guided meditation built to accompany your run. It’s paced around 5:30/km, includes stretches of silence with gentle music, and guides you through the process of turning a run into a practice of compassion in motion.

It’s beginner-friendly, though I’d recommend having done a bit of Metta or compassion training before jumping into it. It helps.

I’m not claiming Tonglen can bring world peace through your daily jog. But I am saying that shifting your mindset—from struggle and resistance to compassionate endurance—has real, science-backed benefits.

There’s growing research in sports psych around self-compassion improving performance—lowering perceived effort, improving recovery, and increasing resilience. And anecdotally? It kept me going on runs where I would’ve quit.

 Try It, Reflect On It

If this speaks to you, give it a go.

The Tonglen Run is live now on Insight Timer 

 

Put your shoes on, plug in your headphones, and take a different kind of run.

And if you do try it—I’d love to hear from you. Comment, message, share your experience. Let’s keep exploring this path together.

More meditations are on the way.

– Dawid
Yoddha Mind