This is a walking meditation that you can use in conjunction with the course Meditation in a Busy Life or just as a practice on its own.
Traditionally think of meditation as something that needs to be done sitting down but that's not true.
It can be as well as sitting,
You can meditate when you're standing up,
Lying down or walking.
So in this meditation it's designed to be done while you're walking.
So I invite you now if you're going on a walk to put in some headphones and follow my guidance and do what works for you.
Now you don't need to walk slowly,
Just walk at your normal pace and as you do so,
Start feeling the connection with your feet and the ground.
And every time your heel comes in contact with the ground as you take a step,
Become aware of the breath as well.
Now you don't need to try and change the breath,
Just feel the breath in the body and the natural movement as you walk.
So as you become more aware of the movement of the body,
The obvious one are the legs going backwards and forwards but then you might also start to notice some movement in the arms,
The upper body,
The head even.
Now the invitation is to keep looking ahead and not to look around at what's going on around you.
But then if you do suddenly find that you're looking at something over there,
Looks like somebody's doing something interesting,
Something caught your eye,
Notice that.
It's like when you're sitting,
It's when the mind wanders off,
Bringing it back to the breath.
So you notice that you've got distracted and bring your awareness back to your body and the sensations of walking.
And that is all you need to do as you're going on your walk,
Just being aware of what's going on in the body and the breath.
And as thoughts arise and sounds and sights and smells,
Just let them come and go without getting caught up in them,
Without getting distracted,
Without having any stories or judgments about them.
And if there are judgments about what's happening or thoughts,
Notice that too.
And just stay with the movement as you walk at your natural pace.
You might start to notice if you were rushing that you have slowed down,
Although you don't have to do this consciously.
Just keep going with the flow of the breath and the movement of the body,
Just taking one step at a time,
Whatever pace is right for you.
And if you want,
You can walk up and down,
Or you can just go for a walk around the block,
Whatever suits your environment.
And this is about becoming more mindful in everyday life.
So if you can become more mindful when you're walking and doing this consciously in this meditation,
Then this will have benefits in the rest of your life.
So you can continue walking for as long as works for you.
And the invitation is when you get to the end of the walk,
Is not to sort of leap into doing the next thing,
But just take a pause,
Stand for a few seconds,
Few minutes,
Feel into the body,
Feel the ground beneath you,
Connect with the breath.
Be aware of the thoughts,
Be aware of the emotions,
And set the intention that you're going to continue this thread of awareness that you've cultivated on this walk as you go through the rest of your day and keep coming back every time your mind wanders off to feeling the movement of the body,
Being aware of the breath as often as you need to.
It's not a failure if you get distracted.
It's a moment of awareness.
And the more you do this,
The more that you will become aware and get distracted less often or notice more quickly when you do get distracted.
So enjoy your walk.
Take care,
Go well,
And lots of love.
