Hello and welcome to your walking meditation.
All you're going to need is a place for your mindful walking practice.
It's simplest to start where you are right now.
If you'd like to,
Though,
You can take this recording with you to a park or a trail or somewhere else that you'd like to be.
Find a place to walk that allows you to listen safely to the instructions,
Maybe a smooth path without traffic.
So before you start,
Take a moment and notice yourself standing.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Notice how you're standing.
Just as we do with sitting meditation,
Invite your spine to lengthen and your shoulders to soften.
Stand in a way that feels upright,
Relaxed,
And present.
And bring your attention to your breath.
Take a deep breath in and a long,
Slow breath out.
Notice where you are,
What sensations you're experiencing.
What do you see in front of you?
Maybe a specific color or a shape.
What sounds do you hear?
Can you feel warmth or coolness?
Is there a breeze or is the air still?
What sensations do you notice in your body?
Now consciously begin walking at whatever pace feels right to you.
Can you notice the physical sensation of lifting your foot and the sensation of your foot making contact with the ground?
Continue walking for a few minutes,
Focusing on the very particular experience of your foot making contact with the ground.
And if it helps,
You can say to yourself,
Contact,
Contact,
Contact.
Begin to widen the focus of your awareness to include the experience of your whole entire body walking.
What does it feel like for the body to move in this way?
What are the range of sensations that you might be experiencing?
Now while still being aware of your body,
Expand your awareness even further.
Include the range of everything you're experiencing in your environment from sights and sounds to smells and sensations.
Can you be fully aware and present of walking in the middle of this experience?
Continue walking in this way as long as you'd like.
You may try alternating your focus from the contact of your feet on the ground to being aware of your body as a whole to then being aware of the wider environment or simply pausing to appreciate something in your path.
And finish with a full deep breath in and a long slow breath out.
Take a moment to notice if or how shifting your attention to finding your feet impacted your attention or your energy or your focus.
The next time you're in a meeting or giving a presentation or just in a conversation with someone today,
Rest some attention on the sensations of the feet making contact with the ground to bring the mind and body back together and recenter.
