Walking meditation This is part three of four meditations around the four positions that most of us find themselves in most of the time.
Standing,
Sitting,
Walking or lying down.
I recommend listening to the standing meditation and practicing for at least four or five minutes before attempting this walking meditation.
As a quick reminder,
In the standing meditation we found a position of balance so that we are slightly putting our weight forwards on the toes to keep our feet engaged but not too much.
Our knees are above the feet.
The hips are slightly forward so that no tension accumulates in the lower back.
We are breathing deeply in the belly.
The shoulders are neither too far forward nor too far back.
And in the head we tilt our chin slightly so that there is also an extension in the upper part of the spine as well as the lower part.
And we let any tension move down through the body all the way down through the legs to the feet and the floor.
From this position you can start walking by taking very small steps.
Moving your whole weight to one side,
Stepping with the other foot forward,
And repeating on the other side.
Aim to maintain the relaxation in your body,
The straight spine.
Let no tension accumulate in any part and walk with the least amount of effort required.
To make this even more effortless,
Bend your whole body slightly forward so that you are almost falling forward and using gravity to move.
You may notice that in order to make bigger steps your lower back tightens because your foot steps ahead of your center of balance.
So you may want to take smaller,
Quicker steps.
I recommend practicing this in your room or in your garden for a few minutes before going outside.
Over time it will become more and more natural and you will be able to walk like this at a normal pace.
For correct posture,
I recommend being barefoot or wearing barefoot shoes as much as possible because having a thick sole can have negative impact on the knees and on the lower back.
You can of course experiment with this and see if it is true for yourself.
You may have realized by now that if it is possible to remain as relaxed while walking,
Then it is of course possible to be very relaxed no matter what you're doing.
As long as you keep your body relaxed,
You notice any tension that builds and you let it flow down through the whole body.
If you let it flow down to the floor,
Then any activity you do can feel effortless,
Easy,
Free,
And you can remain at peace while you're doing it.
Thank you for listening and I hope to be with you again soon.
