Overland Park woman writes book joining physical & spritual exercise

Bartocci decided to write her sixth book, Meditation in Motion: Exercise Your Body and Soul - at the Same Time! (Sorin Books), because she found herself, by accident, doing physical and spiritual exercises at the same time.

"I was out riding my bike real early one summer morning," Bartocci said, speaking by phone from her home in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, Kan. "And I noticed that my wheels had fallen almost naturally into repetitive prayers. It's as if they were prayer wheels." . . .

Bartocci claims there are natural parallels between athletic and spiritual discipline:

• Both call for commitment and willingness to stay focused.

• Both tap into enthusiasm, courage, perseverance, and honor.

• Both enable participants to endure discomfort, even occasional pain, to awaken something within.

• Both can create illumination, whether it's called a mystical moment or "playing in the zone."