Welcome to this walking meditation.
Walking meditation is a great way to experience movement-based mindfulness.
It helps deepen and widen our awareness of every kind and helps promote a relaxation response.
So as you come into your walking meditation,
First set your intention to walk mindfully.
Let's take a few deep breaths here,
Filling our lungs up with air up to the top until we can't fill them anymore,
Then breathing out the mouth,
Sighing it out,
Seeing our lungs,
And then at the bottom,
Pausing for just a second before we inhale,
Filling up those lungs.
So imagine filling your lungs as full as you possibly can and then emptying the lungs as much as you possibly can,
Taking advantage of your full lung capacity.
We usually breathe with only a fraction of our potential lung capacity,
So take big deep breaths.
Finish up with your last breath,
Your own time,
And then let your breathing return to normal,
Just taking note.
And I'd like us to just acknowledge that during this walk,
You will be aware of your environment and your internal state,
Your thoughts,
Your feelings,
Your sensations.
There aren't any set rules for this walk.
It can be done anywhere,
Any time.
It can be nice to set aside a fixed period of time.
This isn't necessary,
But it can be quite helpful.
So become aware right now of how you're standing.
You don't want to slump,
But you do want to be relaxed.
Feel your feet on the ground,
And then let's begin to walk.
As you walk,
Notice what it feels like for your feet to hit the ground.
When your feet make contact with the ground,
What part of your foot first makes contact?
Is it the inner corner of the foot,
The outer corner,
The front,
Or the back?
Notice the process of moving your legs.
As you move,
Which muscles tense or which muscles relax?
Notice the quality of each step you take if you're stepping lightly onto the ground or with a heavy foot,
Not judging or trying to change,
But simply being aware.
Notice the feeling of the ground beneath your feet or your shoes.
Is it spongy or soft,
Hard?
Is it solid?
Notice where you are stepping,
Onto concrete or grass,
Onto wooden floors or carpets,
Onto sand or onto dirt.
Noticing our feet once again as they touch the ground.
Noticing the ground and starting to notice what is around us as well.
Notice your surroundings.
As you're walking,
What can you hear?
Silently,
See if you can name five things that you can hear right now apart from the sound of my voice.
As you walk,
Take in these sounds.
Notice their quality.
They resonate within the body.
They're loud or soft.
And as you walk,
Notice what you see.
Looking straight ahead,
See if you can name silently to yourself five things that you can see right now.
What colors can you see?
What shapes?
Are you surrounded with many sights so that the brain feels almost as though it's difficult to choose just five?
Are you in a place where there's less to see?
Perhaps finding five things directly in front of you is difficult.
Either way,
Just notice what you see around you at this time.
Not judging or attaching and meaning,
But simply noticing what you see in this moment.
Notice if there are any smells where you are as you walk.
If there is a smell you can percept,
Get curious about what that smell is like.
What is the quality?
Is it strong,
Difficult to ascertain?
Does it smell good or pungent?
Notice if there's anything you can taste right now.
If you can taste something,
Notice what does it taste like this moment in time?
And notice how you feel as you walk.
What does your body feel like as you take step by step?
What feelings or sensations may be arising in the body and where do you feel them right now?
How does the air feel on your skin?
Is it warm or cool?
Just notice what is around you.
And as you continue to remain aware of what it feels like to walk and of your external environment,
You can also be aware and stay aware of your internal experiences,
Your thoughts,
Your feelings,
Your sensations.
And so if and when thoughts come and go as they will,
That's okay.
Just notice what thoughts cross your mind as you walk.
What emotion or emotions might you be feeling right now?
Are the feelings intense or are they mild?
Do these experiences feel like they're pulling you in or can you observe them with a bit of distance?
Once again,
Not judging your thoughts,
Feelings or sensations or as good or bad,
Just noticing them for what they are.
And as you continue your walk,
Keep in mind this intention to be present,
To be observational and to just be mindful of everything that happens.
If you find your mind wandering,
Simply notice that.
That's okay.
Gently bring it back to that present awareness.
Enjoy your mindful walking.
This is a beautiful way to literally and metaphorically move into meditation.
So enjoy the rest of your walk.
It's your present today.
Thank you so much for listening and I'll be here next time.
Thank you.
