Energy Express by Marilynn Preston

All sports have a mystical quality. Any time you run, swim, cycle, golf, do yoga, play tennis — you name it — you have an opportunity to alter consciousness in a wonderful way.

Shots of Red Bull will not take you there. It's called being in the Flow, that mysterious zone of effortless effort that connects body and mind, spirit and sport.

Why bother to develop the Zen side of your game? Because when your body and mind are fully integrated, your sports play jumps to a whole new level. (So does your life.)

When you learn to move through fear and anxiety with strength and resiliency, you make more baskets, ski better, run faster, climb higher. When you lose or fall or fail, you're serenely less pissed.

When you're in that famous Flow, your thinking mind stops and your body mind takes over, and you experience a whole new understanding of "strength through relaxation."

Here's how Roger Bannister expressed it after he ran the world's first four-minute mile: "My mind seemed almost detached from my body. There was no strain. No pain. Only a great unity of movement and aim."

Many of us — even if we're barely managing a 14-minute mile — aim for that kind of inner, deeper, blissed-out sports experience. But getting there is another matter. For that, inspiration and instruction can be helpful.

And that's why Barbara Bartocci's book "Meditation in Motion" (www.avemariapress.com) is such a find. It includes 48 little stories about real women and men who used sports to tap into their spirits, with amazing results.

You can read about Ron, who creates a blissful harmony of body, heart, mind and spirit through Celtic dancing. Or Erica, who swam her way through feelings of regret, anger and disappointment, and rediscovered her self-esteem, lap by lap. Or Louise, who paddled her way from sickness and alcoholism to a slower, more contemplative life, thanks to kayaking.

"When you breathe nature's clean wind and smell a fresh pine forest or when you walk along a beach at sunrise, your soul responds," says Bartocci, who discovered the profound pleasure of long-distance cycling at age 50. "It's easier then to sort out what's important to you and what isn't. "

Ready to infuse a little more spirit in your sport? Here are some tips from "Meditation in Motion" to get you started:

— Anticipate.

While you're putting on your workout clothes or driving to your gym, visualize yourself doing your workout, Bartocci advises. Mentally project and experience the pleasure, the exhilaration, the strength your exercise will give you.

— Create Your Intention. Spiritual masters from all traditions tell us that whatever we focus our attention on will command our energy. Before starting your exercise, consciously affirm your intention to combine the physical and the spiritual.

— Breathe. Breathe deeply before exercising. "Feel the air moving into your body, lifting you. Imagine that the bottoms of your feet are receiving energy from Mother Earth. Pull your breath smoothly up through your torso and exhale through a relaxed, open mouth. As you exhale, picture yourself releasing negative toxins of anxiety, fear and impatience."

— Stay Positive. Avoid negative thoughts. If you hear negative messages in your mind, willfully stop them — say "stop!" — and bring your awareness back to the present moment and what you're doing, whether it be swinging a tennis racket or paddling a canoe. Repeat a meaningful mantra at the same time or say a short prayer of gratitude.

— Give 90 Percent. Trying too hard will interfere with peak performance. Follow Bartocci's advice and give yourself permission to perform at what you consider to be only 90 percent. Chances are you'll do well and experience effortlessness. The same truth is in the Tao Te Ching: "Practice not-doing. Everything will fall into place."

Sports can take you to a mystical place, but you can't force it to happen. Books like "Meditation in Motion" can help you create the circumstances that favor its happening — just like a good yoga class — but it's up to you to "combine athletic endeavor with a prayerful spirit" and wait patiently for the result. If your consciousness shifts, call collect.

Have you touched your deeper spirit through sports? How did it make you feel? Be a sport and share your story by emailing me at myenergyexpress@aol.com.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! ARE YOU PLAYING THE INNER GAME?

"In every human endeavor there are two arenas of engagement: the outer and the inner." — W. Timothy Gallway

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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