So many times when we're overwhelmed with thoughts,
Maybe a well-intentioned friend will say,
Well,
Meditate.
And so you sit there and you try to calm your mind,
But the thoughts just keep rising.
But meditation is about stilling the mind,
Not necessarily the body.
So let's see if we can do some moving meditation.
So wherever you are,
You can maybe pause and put some comfortable shoes on,
Maybe get dressed so you can get outside and move.
So before you begin,
Ask yourself,
How would you like to feel as opposed to how you're feeling right now?
Just maybe put it into your mind just for a moment,
Visualize how you would like to feel after this 20 minutes.
And now,
Let's begin.
Just begin walking.
If you're a runner,
You can begin running.
But don't really put so many constraints on yourself.
Just wherever you are,
Just begin.
Start wherever you are.
So at first,
Putting one foot in front of the other can be somewhat easy,
But once your body gets used to the pattern of left,
Right,
Left,
Right,
Then it becomes a soundtrack in the background,
And then the thoughts come back,
Right?
So let's just get into that habit of just stepping left,
Right,
And maybe repeat in your mind left,
Right.
Let's get a little bit of mindfulness into this by feeling each foot as it graces the ground,
Whether you're running,
So your toes are going to be pushing off,
Or you're walking,
You're doing a gentle stroll,
And your heel touches first and gradually pushes off with the toes.
Get a sense of what each foot is doing,
Paying attention to what the body is doing,
Just focusing on your calves and maybe the sway of your hips.
Notice how your core might be swinging back and forth,
Depending upon the pace,
Your particular gait.
Notice how your shoulders might move back and forth.
And then notice where your gaze is.
Are you staring down at your feet,
Or are you looking ahead,
Or are you looking within?
Just keep strolling along,
Running along,
Walking,
Brisk walk,
Whatever you're doing,
Keep going.
And then take this moment to recognize what's around you.
Right now,
Notice five things that you see,
Five things that you see.
It's almost like that game that you play in the car when you're a kid.
Maybe those things are common along a particular path that you take every day,
Or maybe notice something new,
Just notice.
And don't feel that you have to stop at five,
You can continue to see five things.
And then aside from the sound of my voice,
Notice four things that you might hear.
Pay attention here.
Is it the jingling of article of your clothing?
I used to notice how my shoelaces would snap with every step of my foot,
Or how your foot lands.
Notice your breath.
Is it audible?
Are there any cars going by?
You hear any birds?
Now,
Notice three things that you feel.
This could be the sense of feel,
The sense of touch.
How is your body responding?
Do you feel tight in your belly?
Do you feel tight in your chest?
Are your shoulders hunching?
See if you can open your shoulders.
With each breath,
Open your chest.
Feeling your belly expand,
The whole front body expanding,
Opening.
That also be the feeling in your feet,
Your calves getting tired.
Maybe noticing how one foot might be striking more heavily than the next.
Also notice the temperature.
Maybe feel a breeze on your cheek.
If it's cold,
Maybe your hands are getting chilly,
Or maybe they're getting warm as you're moving.
Now,
Let's maybe notice two things you might smell.
Sometimes I smell the tar from the road when it's just been repaved.
Sometimes it's the smell of fresh rain.
Sometimes it can be foul.
Just notice.
And so wherever you are,
Turn around.
The first 10 minutes is up.
And although this might be subtle,
Maybe notice something you taste.
What does your mouth taste like?
Metallic,
Bitter,
Maybe a little nasty because you didn't brush your teeth.
Just notice.
So even if you're going back to the place that you started,
Keep in mind that we can never truly go back in our life.
We are always moving forward.
We are always growing.
And then in many situations,
There's a part of us that is,
We have to leave behind.
Whether it's a choice of ours,
Or someone else's choice,
Things come and go.
But the key is we continually move forward.
And we don't get ourselves caught up too much in just staring down on our feet.
Sometimes it helps to maybe stare just a few feet ahead.
And I know for me,
Thinking about that finish line,
Whether it was three miles or 26 miles,
Sometimes that finish line can sound really,
Really,
And that can burden your mind.
And when you get bound with those thoughts,
Just focus on what's in front of you.
Focus on just those few feet ahead.
What do I need to do now to forge a better future for me?
We focus on the process rather than being too fixed on that finish line,
Too fixed on that outcome.
Don't think too far.
Think just enough.
How much can you manage right now?
And sometimes we move faster,
But we know we cannot move too fast for too long,
Or we exhaust ourselves.
But in the same way,
We can't move too slow for too long.
Otherwise,
We get a stuck sense.
So we always find that right pace that's appropriate for us at this moment in our lives.
Whether it's a hill that we're climbing,
We focus on just one foot in front of the other.
And sometimes the road is much easy.
We can move a little faster,
But we always pay attention to what is around us.
What are the cues around us that are telling us maybe to make a turn,
Maybe to move faster or to slow down or to stop and tie your shoe?
We keep moving forward.
We can rise each day knowing perfectly well that we are equipped every moment to handle every step that we take.
You are perfectly equipped to handle what is right in front of you.
We don't focus on,
We don't try to retrace those steps behind us,
But then we don't get too anxious about what's ahead.
When those thoughts overwhelm us,
Just take a step in front of you.
Notice what's around you.
Ground yourself in the moment.
So now imagine all those Instagram posts or all those social media posts that show people in meditation and think about how you feel right now.
We are coming to the end of our meditation and maybe one thing you could do is take a photo of yourself in post meditation and maybe post it on social media with that hashtag recognizing that meditation really is slowing or stilling the mind,
Clearing it from all the patterns that keep us stuck and opening ourselves up to the possibilities that we might not have anticipated or entertained had we not taken this or this run.
So now you can stop and maybe shake out your legs,
Shake out your hips and stretch if you need to.
If you'd like to take that photo of yourself and remind yourself that any time that you feel stuck,
Any time you feel overwhelmed by your thoughts,
You don't have to stay still,
But teach your mind to carve out a new path rather than the old ones that you've been stuck on and just keep moving.
Take care.
