Hi,
Welcome to this guided meditation.
Today we're going to practice walking meditation.
Walking meditation is a powerful practice.
In fact,
Practicing walking meditation is as beneficial as sitting meditation.
Walking meditation helps us bridge the gap between formal sitting and daily life.
By practicing walking meditation often,
We'll be able to maintain a meditative state of mind throughout the day.
To prepare for walking meditation,
Find an area where you'll be able to freely walk for at least a few steps.
You can practice indoors or outdoors,
It makes no difference.
Try to find a place where you're unlikely to be disturbed or distracted by your surroundings.
Once you've chosen your walking area,
Begin by standing upright,
Naturally.
Don't walk for the moment,
Simply stand.
Become aware of your surroundings,
Letting sounds,
Sights and smells flow freely towards the mind.
Take a deep breath.
Let yourself relax.
Let yourself enjoy this simple moment.
Slowly begin walking.
We're aiming for a slow but natural walking pace.
Observe how your body feels as you walk.
Keep slowly walking,
Observing how the body feels,
Until you reach the end of your short walking path.
Once you've reached it,
Stop walking.
Here you are,
Standing at the end of your walking path.
We're now going to turn around,
Slowly and mindfully.
Let your body naturally turn around,
Observing how the sights and sensations change as it turns.
Now simply turning around may seem quite mundane,
But by observing,
You'll see that quite a lot of things have to go right for you to turn properly.
By practicing walking meditation,
We're shedding light on all the little things that we do,
But are unaware of.
Now that we've turned,
We'll walk again towards the other end of our walking path.
We're naturally leaving the mind open to changing sights,
Sounds,
And sensations as we move.
More specifically,
We'll be paying particular attention to the sensations in our feet.
These should be particularly clear.
And when you reach the end of your path,
Turn around mindfully,
Paying attention to all the little steps that the body goes through when turning,
And begin walking again.
Feel your foot lifting from the ground,
Moving through the air,
And pressing the ground again as you slowly walk.
The slower you walk,
The easier it will be to notice all these different sensations.
Keep walking,
Observing the sensations in your feet as you walk,
But at the same time,
Staying open and receptive to everything that changes around you.
Keep walking,
Walking slowly,
Vigilantly,
With a quiet and balanced mind,
With an open mind.
Observe how your surroundings change as you walk.
Keep the sensations in your feet at the forefront of your mind.
Let everything else,
Sounds,
Sights,
Other sensations,
Still happen,
But leave them in the background so that they don't take center stage.
And sometimes,
You'll notice that they take center stage,
Or that the mind wanders away in a stream of thoughts.
And when you notice that,
Simply bring your attention back to your feet,
To the sensations in your feet.
Now there's no need for frustration or disappointment when the mind wanders away,
Even though it's normal to feel that way.
We're simply training the mind like a small puppy,
And sometimes,
Like a small puppy,
It wanders away,
So we bring it back.
Let out frustration,
But we still do it quite firmly.
And as we repeat that simple action again and again,
Of bringing back attention towards our meditation object,
In this case,
The sensations in our feet.
The mind will get better and better at staying there.
That's how we train the mind.
And when it's time to turn around,
Make an effort to be particularly vigilant.
It's easy to get distracted when turning around,
Because a lot of things happen at the same time.
Do it slowly,
With patience and vigilance,
And the mind will remain balanced.
Keep walking,
Slowly walking,
With the sensations in your feet taking center stage.
Feel your foot lifting from the ground,
Passing through the air,
And touching the ground.
Now walk until you reach the end of your walking path,
And then stop.
Now,
As you stand still,
Observe the way the body feels,
And observe your surroundings.
Now,
As we end this guided meditation,
Try to maintain that same balance,
That same mental clarity throughout your day.
It's entirely possible to stay vigilant,
Mindful,
And balanced,
Just like in walking meditation.
Thank you for doing this practice.
