Bio
My father was the one who first inspired me to run, not because he asked me to or suggested I do, but by example. Initially, he ran and I read Runner’s World on the couch, educating myself.
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Menaka Charan
From the age of 13, I became very health conscious, realizing that I had a voracious appetite for food (still do!) and needed to balance it with exercise. At the age of around 15, I decided to take up running during the summer when none of the scholastic sports programs were in session. Running has been the most consistent sport for me since then. I have run in many areas of the world including several provinces and states in Canada and the US, as well as the South Pacific, Europe, Egypt, Mexico, and Australia. I love how you can take running anywhere and that there isn’t much to pack!
In 2005, I came across ChiRunning® first in a Runner’s World article and later found the book “by accident” in a bookstore. I bought and read the book. With a background in the sciences and as a physical therapist, everything described about the postural alignment and physics made biomechanical and scientific sense to me. Later that summer, I took a ChiRunning® workshop. After that weekend, I eyed the ChiRunning® & ChiWalking® Instructor program as a way to get better at the running technique and when it showed up thirty minutes from where I live, I signed up.
These days, my running form is much more efficient, smooth and relaxed. In recent years I have been running up to 12-13 mile distances, mostly for exercise, but sometimes in races as well. I am not competitive. For me, it’s a bridge to physical and mental conditioning, health and vitality.
I have added ChiWalking® and practice of the different postural focuses (common to both the running and walking techniques) to my workday. For instance, I will get into alignment while standing as I wait for a patient to be ready or in line at the grocery store. (Don’t worry, it can be very subtle). To my surprise, a shoulder injury healed up when my posture improved, opening up the spine. Being more in alignment, relaxed and walking more efficiently throughout my day, I find I have more energy when I get home compared to in the past.
While teaching this form to both active and inactive runners and walkers, including patients in the rehab setting, I have seen people experience joy, efficient movement, wows and smiles! There is so much more to running and walking than you can imagine!
I have lived near Seattle, Washington for over ten years. As I love to travel, I am willing to teach in many places around the US, Canada and the world.