So this is a walking meditation.
So you can come to standing with your feet under the hips,
So hip distance apart,
And maybe for just a moment allowing the eyes to close or the gaze to rest kind of unfocused on the floor in front of you.
And this is a practice in bringing attention to an activity that we often do very automatically.
In fact,
Often when we're walking,
We're walking for a purpose to get somewhere,
Perhaps hurrying,
And very rarely do we walk just to get nowhere for the sake of walking.
So I'm sure that you have the space about the length of a yoga mat or maybe two,
Just a space that you can walk back and forth in.
And before you start walking,
You can begin by rocking the weight a little bit from the left to the right,
Just allowing the weight to shift from one side to the other,
Feeling the pressure on the feet and how that changes,
Feeling how the joints and the muscles adapt to this motion.
And then coming to the center and then rocking gently from forwards to backwards.
Again,
The attention of the feet allowing your awareness to encompass whatever sensations are available at the feet.
And then coming back to your center,
Allowing the hands to hang next to you,
Relaxing the shoulders,
And you can lift the shoulders up towards the ears and then allow them just to drop down.
And then opening the eyes and being aware of the intention to start walking and allowing the weight to shift to the left side until the heel of the right foot can come off the ground and then the rest of the foot.
Then moving the foot forward in the air,
Setting the heel down,
And then the rest of the foot.
And then continue on walking.
And when you get to the end of your lane that you've created for yourself,
You can stop and perhaps close the eyes and breathe in.
And then open the eyes,
Turn around,
And begin walking again.
So just walking back and forth,
Bringing the attention to the sensations of movement,
Sensations in the feet,
In the body.
And as you walk,
You might become aware of the different parts of the step and you might even want to label them.
So lifting forward and setting.
Lifting forward and setting.
Noticing how the weight shifts.
And then stopping,
Closing the eyes.
And what do you notice now?
And it might be that if you notice that your heart is beating extra hard or that you're experiencing pain,
It might be a sign that you're trying too hard.
If that's the case,
Seeing if when you begin again,
You can just relax into walking.
And you might play with the pace.
Often there's much to notice when we slow down.
But you might try walking at a normal pace or even a little bit faster.
Exploring all the sensations.
And at some point you might want to stop,
Take a deep breath,
And try walking backwards.
Here again you have lifting,
Moving,
Setting.
Lifting,
Moving,
Setting.
Perhaps checking in if you're still breathing.
Or if there's unnecessary tension in the shoulders or the stomach.
And then coming to a standstill again.
Noticing how it is right now.
So this is how it is,
Whatever you find right now.
Can it be okay just for now?
And then when you're ready,
Resuming walking forward.
And step,
Step,
Step.
And see what your thoughts are.
Bringing them back to walking.
Aware of any reactions.
And then coming to a stop again.
Checking in,
Seeing what the effects of this exercise are.
And in the same way that in a breathing exercise you can pay attention to sensations or to sounds.
To thoughts or notice particular moods.
Or even be in a more open awareness,
Allowing whatever arises to arise.
In the same way you can walk.
So you can start walking again and just seeing whatever arises as you walk.
So the sensation or thought,
Mood,
Whatever they are,
Observing them and letting them go.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
Feeling the sensations.
Noticing whatever is arising.
Checking if you're still breathing.
Attention is crept in anywhere.
And then again,
Resuming walking.
And for the remaining minutes just keeping the attention on this act of walking.
Exploring in your own way.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
And then coming to a stop again.
