Welcome to this walking meditation practice.
Walking meditation is a variation on the sitting mindfulness based practice that helps create a bridge between formal practice and expanding awareness into everyday life.
You will need a private space where you can walk peacefully without distraction.
You can walk back and forward in a hallway or clockwise around a room or outside area.
Before we continue,
Knowing that you can choose to stop this meditation any time you feel you need to,
Even if it's halfway through the practice.
The awareness of your need to stop is also an act of mindfulness.
Let's begin by finding an upright standing posture with a tall but not rigid spine.
Taking a deep breath or two,
Bring a slight tuck to the chin and soften and lower the gaze down to a point on the ground roughly 4 to 6 feet in front of you.
Slowly bringing your hands together to rest just below the navel,
You can wrap the right hand underneath the fingers of the left,
Placing the right thumb in the gap between the left thumb and the index finger.
It should be as if you are cradling your left hand with your right.
In mindful walking,
Instead of bringing the attention to the sensations of breathing in the body,
The anchor for the attention is the changing sensations of walking that appear in the feet and the legs.
There is a light touch of your attention to the movement,
Not an intense focus,
But rather allowing your attention to rest softly and precisely on the changing sensations.
The pace of walking is slower than normal.
You could imagine as if you are walking with a child through the park.
Taking now the first step,
Beginning with the right foot,
Slowly lifting the foot and noticing the sensations of movement as your foot releases from the ground,
Moves through the air and places back down on the earth.
Continuing with the left foot,
Now begin walking.
As you walk,
Maintaining the intention of trying to be aware of any thoughts,
Feelings and sensations that may arise,
Not with a sense of force,
But rather bringing awareness to the whole range of experience,
Not needing to exclude or push away any part,
Allowing any thoughts,
Feelings or sensations to arise,
Be there and pass without judgement or analysis.
Just noticing and feeling the movement of your legs and feet as they connect with the ground and release.
Walking with awareness.
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
Walking without thinking about walking.
Walking without the need to arrive at a particular place.
Noticing how the sensations in your feet and legs change as you walk.
Heaviness,
Lightness,
Pressure tingling,
Energy,
Even discomfort and pain if it's present.
Seeing if you can be with each step fully.
If you reach the end of a room or the path,
Taking a moment to pause and collect yourself before starting walking again.
It's natural for the mind to wander as you are walking.
Mindfulness is a practice of becoming aware of these moments,
Not needing for them to change or to force the mind on the sensations of walking,
But rather becoming aware of these moments and gently returning your attention to the sensations of the next step.
You may silently note to yourself where the mind went,
Into planning,
Worrying,
Fantasizing,
Imagining,
Before again returning to walking.
Knowing that no matter how long you spend lost in thought,
You can always bring your attention back to the sensations of walking.
Walking not to go anywhere or to arrive anywhere else,
But rather arriving again and again to the aliveness of this moment.
You may like to consider the following phrase while walking.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on this earth with awareness.
Upon completing the next few steps,
Now come into a standing position,
Resting your hands still together just below the navel,
Noticing now what it feels like to bring stillness to the body,
Possibly asking yourself the question without looking for a particular response,
How is my experience now?
How,
If at all,
Is it different from the start of this practice?
Observing whatever may arise without judgment,
Without the need to analyze,
And without the need for it to say or mean anything in particular about you.
And now slowly lifting your gaze once again,
Taking in the sights and sounds of the room or the place that you are in.
You may choose to close this practice by finding a sense of gratitude for yourself,
For taking the time to engage in this practice,
Or simply continuing on with the rest of your day by taking the next step with care and awareness.
