Running―The Sacred Art: Preparing to Practice

by Warren A. Kay, Kristin Armstrong (Foreword)

Lace up your running shoes and discover how your daily run can enrich your spiritual life. We run for exercise, relaxation and sometimes to indulge our competitive spirit. Now Warren A. Kay takes you on an exploration of an often-overlooked facet of the running as an intentional spiritual practice. Kay's approach is more than just "blissing out" on a run. He combines penetrating reflections on God, creation and the role of Spirit in our lives with practical, concise tips for starting your own spiritual running journal. He helps turn your ordinary runs into extraordinary opportunities for spiritual growth. Whether you've logged thousands of miles or are new to the sport, you'll find the guidance and inspiration you need in this unique book. Experience your daily run

Genres: Spirituality, Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2007

Reviews

[Tejasrao Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book on spiritual running but basic though. even if you've run only a few Half-Marathons then you've already done most things this books advises.

[Benjamin Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique book about the spiritual side of running.

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this in a clearance pile right after I did my first 5K and was curious enough to pick it up. Kay provides his own philosophy on running that I enjoyed reading about, briefly exploring some of the historical significance of running, differentiating between the five stages of running (he credits these to another author, Jeff Galloway, and they are: The Beginner, The Jogger, The Competitor, The Athlete, and The Runner), and looking at different types of spirituality and prayer/meditation that can be incorporated into running. There are journal activities with every chapter and I chose to skip these, but I did look at the questions they suggested asking yourself and appreciated the method he guides his readers through. What I took from this book is a better insight into why some people love running so much, and a curiosity as to how spirituality can be more intentionally incorporated with other things we do like hiking, skiing, kayaking, etc.

[Becky Ginther · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was fine, but probably not intended for someone like me. Though it is aimed at "spiritual" people rather than religious, I guess I'm still a little too outside of the box to relate to everything here. But I imagine it could be very inspiring for some people.

[Tim Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book, but will need to re read, and may modify my score then. There were some really interesting sections, but it felt a little repetitive in places. maybe once I try putting some of it into practice, that will help as well. Until then it only scores a 3.

[Andreas Michaelides · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after I ran a couple of half-marathons and it did help me ease my way into the running mentality. Nice thoughts about spirituality and running.