This is a walking meditation.
Begin by choosing a place,
An indoor or outside walking path about 10 to 30 paces long.
Start by standing still and sensing the weight of your body at your feet.
Feeling your muscles supporting and stabilizing you.
Your hands can be in whatever position is most comfortable.
Resting easily at your sides,
Folded gently in front of you or at your back.
In the stillness remain relaxed and alert.
As you begin walking start at a slower pace than usual,
Paying particular attention to the sensations in your feet and legs.
See if you can sense any heaviness or lightness.
You may feel pressure or tingling or there could be even pain present.
For the walking practice this play of sensations rather than the breath or another anchor is the home base for our attention.
Be mindful of the sensations of lifting your feet and of placing them back down on the floor or earth.
Sense each step fully as you walk in a relaxed and natural way to the end of your chosen path.
When you arrive stop and pause for a moment.
Feel your whole body standing there,
Allowing all your senses to be awake.
Then slowly and mindfully with intention turn to face in the other direction.
Before you begin walking pause again to collect and center yourself.
If it helps you can even close your eyes during these standing pauses,
Often called standing meditation.
As you're walking it's quite natural for your mind to wander.
Whenever it does you might mentally pause,
Perhaps noting inwardly the fact of thinking or even where your mind went,
Planning,
Worrying,
Fantasizing or judging.
Then gently return your attention to the sensations of the next step.
No matter how long you've spent lost in thought you can always arrive right here,
Bringing presence and care to the moment-to-moment sensations of walking.
During the walking period you might alter your pace,
Seeking a speed that allows you to be most mindful of your experience.
In this way you'll move back and forth on your pathway,
Discovering that you are not really going anywhere but are arriving again and again in the aliveness that is right here and right now.
This practice is really useful to use and put into your everyday routine.
You may have a cue that you use to practice your mindful meditation.
You might have a particular corridor or area that whenever you are there you choose to practice mindful walking.
It's just important to practice it even for a couple of minutes every day just to give your mind a rest and to flex your mindfulness muscle.
