Walking Meditation: Day 1 (A Mindful Moment)

Take a moment out of your busy day to take a walk with me as your mindfulness practice today. We'll start at home and I'll guide you with each mindful moment out the door. You might like to walk to your nearest park or patch of green... then join me again tomorrow for Day 2 of your walking meditation practice (check out Day 2 of this walking meditation series!)

Transcript

Hi,

And welcome to this walking meditation.

My name is Jamie and I'll be your guide in today's walking meditation.

Before we begin,

Let's prepare by loading up this meditation on your phone.

Connect your headphones to your device,

And you might like to prep your jacket,

Shoes,

And whatever else you'd like to bring with you on this walk.

There's no need to get dressed to go out just yet.

Just get what you need for this walk and place them by your front door.

Don't worry,

I'll give you a few moments to prepare what you need,

So there's no need to rush.

This walking meditation is your moment of mindfulness.

So let's already begin our mindful practice here as we prepare to walk out the front door.

No need to rush.

Nowhere else you need to be.

All you need really today are your walking shoes,

House keys,

And perhaps a jacket.

I'll be guiding you for about a half hour or so,

But you might like to continue on your own after,

So perhaps bring along a water bottle or a thermos of your favorite brew might come in handy.

So as you gather what you'll need to head out shortly,

I'd like to take the next couple of minutes to explain a little bit about what a walking meditation is and why we do this.

Many of us think of meditation as a sitting practice,

Which can at times be a little uncomfortable or difficult.

But if you think of why we meditate as a moment of bringing attention to what is present,

In this moment right now,

Then we can turn any moment in life into a meditation,

A meditative experience,

Or what can also be called a moment of mindfulness.

Because what's the point in having a sitting meditation practice if we don't also bring this intention into the rest of regular life?

I find a walking meditation to be a great bridge between the sitting practice and regular life.

And perhaps on today's walk,

By bringing your attention to what is present through all five senses as we walk,

You might also connect with moments of mindfulness.

And if nothing else,

At least you've taken a break during your day to pause as you're doing right now.

We'll be taking a walk through your neighborhood today,

And you might like to wing it without a plan of where you're walking.

As we take a walk through your neighborhood,

I'll be inviting you to slow down and observe what's around you.

There may be times where you might like to even take a pause.

With this in mind,

You might also choose to walk down the quieter streets in your neighborhood.

You could choose to do this walking meditation again in a few days,

And perhaps then you might like to walk down some busier streets and notice the differences.

It's all up to you.

So if you've gathered your things together,

Let's start off standing near your front door,

Placing the feet about hip width apart,

Arms relaxed beside you.

And as you're standing here,

Close your eyes and let's take a moment to notice how you're feeling right now in this present moment.

How is my body feeling today?

Is there a heaviness to it or perhaps a lightness?

Take a few moments and feel into the physical sensations of the body.

How is my mind feeling today?

Is it a little scattered?

Lots of thoughts in every direction?

Or perhaps feeling a little open and free?

Simply noticing without judging.

Now let's take a breath in through the nose and exhale with a big loud sigh out through the mouth.

Good job.

One more time,

Inhale through the nose and let it go,

Big sigh out through the mouth.

You might like to set an intention for today's walk of staying alert,

Present and mindful in every moment.

Whenever you're ready,

Open the eyes and let's take what we're bringing with us,

Ready to walk together.

Bringing attention to every moment and every movement,

Keeping the movements natural with no need to hurry.

Putting on the jacket,

Sliding on the shoes,

Feeling your bag against you if you're taking one today.

And whenever you're ready,

Let's head out the front door.

Whether you're walking down the stairs or heading out onto the pavement,

Start to notice your movements.

Perhaps starting from the feet,

From one foot and then the other,

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

Notice the sensations from your feet up through the legs,

To the hips.

What's unfolding in the body as you move?

Taking your time to notice how it's moving to keep you upright.

Keeping your movements natural,

But perhaps slowing your pace down just enough to savor the movements.

Left foot,

Right foot,

Left foot,

Right foot.

Finding an easy pace that's just right for you.

And as you start to settle into an easy rhythm,

A pace that feels right for you,

Noticing the arms moving with each step you take.

Now moving into each of the five senses,

Starting with sight.

And as you look around,

Noticing your surroundings,

Taking in all the sights in front of you.

Notice if there may be accompanying thoughts,

Letting them come and go.

The mind is designed to think,

So thoughts will be present.

But if you can,

No need to stay attached to any thought.

Simply watch them come and go.

Simply let them pass as you continue to notice your surroundings.

You might like to look up or around you and perhaps even notice something you may not have seen before,

Even though you might have walked down the street so many times before.

Keeping your pace natural,

Noticing how you're moving as you're taking in the sights around you.

Now tuning into your sense of hearing.

Perhaps the cars around you,

Dogs barking,

People chatting as you walk past.

Or perhaps you've got noise cancelling headphones on and the sounds around you might be quiet or muffled.

Notice the quality of the sound.

Allowing the sounds to come to you rather than straining to hear.

As we move into the sense of touch,

Checking back with your movements once again.

Perhaps starting with each foot as you place it on the ground.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

Perhaps it might be easier to slow down your pace a bit as you start to tune into the sensations of touch from the soles of your feet.

The sensations of the ground beneath you as you're walking.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing one foot and then the other.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing the foot.

Kissing the earth as you walk.

Let's take a few moments while you get into this rhythm.

Feeling the sensations in both feet.

Sensing the shoes wrapped around the feet as you're lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

Sensing your clothes on your skin.

The sensations of the cloth against your skin with every movement that you make.

If you're carrying a bag or a water bottle,

Notice what it feels like.

The weight,

Is there a warmth or cool to its touch?

As it touches the surfaces against you.

Notice as you feel into the sensations if any other thoughts might be appearing.

Once again letting them come and go.

No need to attach meaning to them.

No need to judge your thoughts.

They're just thoughts.

Feeling like clouds in the sky.

If you're near a patch of grass,

You might even like to take a pause.

And if the weather allows,

Take your shoes off and walk barefoot in the grass.

Feeling grass between your toes,

The earth beneath your feet.

Or if you're near a tree or a plant,

You might like to take a pause and place your left hand on the tree or feel a leaf blade in your left hand.

Simply taking a moment to connect with any piece of nature that may be around you.

Even in whatever urban landscape we're in,

We can often overlook the tiniest bits of plant life that may be surrounding us.

And we use our left hand as the left side of our body represents the yin or receiving side of ourselves.

Just as a reminder to stay open and receive whatever it is we might need from this walking meditation.

So giving ourselves just a moment now to find whatever piece of nature around us and finding your moment of connecting with it.

And as you start to pause here,

Picking a spot that's safe and away from traffic,

Let's connect with our sense of smell now.

If you'd like to,

Maybe even if you're brave enough,

You might like to close your eyes to really connect with that sense of smell.

Just what thoughts or emotions might be coming up for you as you do this or even as you're contemplating whether or not to do this.

Perhaps just pausing by the sidewalk is as far as you'll go today.

You may be surrounded by people,

But whether you have your eyes closed or open as you connect with the smells around you,

Bring this back to your experience.

Opening this up to noticing the smells around you.

Noticing any of the passing thoughts or emotions that might be coming up.

As we move into the sense of taste.

If you have a water bottle with you,

You might like to take a sip if that helps.

If you don't have one,

Let's continue walking,

Connecting with our movements once again.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing one foot and then the other.

Slowly,

Naturally.

Lifting,

Moving,

Placing.

And then connecting with the taste in your mouth.

Is there a taste in your mouth?

Perhaps remnants from your last meal or drink or if you're currently drinking something,

What do you taste?

As you continue on your walk again,

Notice the rhythm of your movement now.

Once again,

Keeping a natural flow.

Feeling the left leg,

Right leg,

Left leg,

Right leg.

Settling into your own rhythm now as you walk.

Breathing one step at a time.

Noticing the sensation of heel to toe pressing into the ground beneath you.

Easing as it lifts off the ground.

Left foot,

Right foot.

Steady,

Gentle focus.

Going back to each heel strike as your point of focus.

Left foot,

Right foot.

Left foot,

Right foot.

I'll give you a few moments to find your rhythm using each step as your point of focus.

One step at a time.

Using this as your anchor for the rest of your walk today.

Now,

Let's take our attention back to our surroundings.

Checking back in with all five senses one by one.

Right and what you're seeing all around you.

Hearing,

Letting the sounds around you come to you.

Touch,

The surfaces touching against your skin.

Smell,

All of the smells around you.

Noticing if the smells might change depending where you're walking through.

Taste,

What are you tasting now in your mouth?

And then awakening to all five senses at the same time.

Sight,

Hearing,

Touch,

Smell,

Taste.

Giving you a few moments to really open up into all five senses.

As we come to the end of this guided walk,

How are you feeling now in your body?

And how are you feeling now in your mind?

Noticing what arises and if perhaps there may be a difference from when we started this walk.

What did you notice on this walk?

Is there something you enjoyed?

Or perhaps is there something that stood out for you on this walk?

Simply noticing whatever arises as you feel into this.

Let's take a moment of gratitude for this one thing you might have noticed a little differently today.

If nothing in particular arises,

Perhaps use this as a little reminder that you can take a break during your day to pause as you're doing right now.

And this is also something to be grateful for.

I hope you're feeling a little lighter,

Your mind is more at ease and ready for whatever the rest of your day brings.

I encourage you to continue taking one step at a time,

Moment to moment.

And I'll see you back here again for part two of this week's walking meditation sessions.

Have a beautiful day.

Reviews

One of my favorite walking meditations, completely gets me out of my head and feeling more “light” is the best way to describe how I feel afterwards. Wish you had more than the 2!! Thank you!

Loved the idea of meditating whilst moving - relaxing - aware - bliss. Be well 🙃

Jaime!! This is so good!!! Thank you so much!! Just what i need today and I'm going to use this regularly 💜

good introduction to walking meditation. I like the voice

Loved this great way to start my day

This was great. I truly felt better after this walk and listen.

Thank you Jamie for an enlightening walk through my senses, focusing on and heightening each, then all together for full awareness of the moment. 🙏🏼