Hello and welcome to this walking meditation.
This meditation can be done walking out in nature or indoors if you are unable to walk outside.
Combining walking with a mindful practice will allow you to become present,
Not thinking about the past or the future,
Just being in the now.
This walk is about slowing down your body,
Mind and moving consciously.
In the words of Thich Nhat Hanh,
You want to walk as if you are kissing the earth.
Set yourself up for the walking meditation.
Take in three deep breaths just before you commence your walk,
Allowing yourself to become present.
Gather your awareness into your body,
Feel the sensation of your feet in contact with the ground,
And take in another mindful breath in and out.
Keeping your eyes open,
Begin walking at a natural pace,
Or if possible just slightly slower than your normal pace.
With each step,
Pay attention to the sensations on the soles of the feet as each foot touches the ground.
It doesn't matter whether you are wearing shoes or not,
Just keep noticing the feelings and sensations in the feet as each foot meets the ground.
Notice the changes in pressure,
Texture and sensation,
One foot after the other.
Gain an awareness of the world around you so you are aware of where you are going and staying safe,
But keep your focus of attention on the feeling of the soles of your feet.
If you are in a small space you can practice walking ten paces or so,
Or walking the length of a room and then turning around.
When the mind wanders away from feeling the sensations in the feet,
Gently guide the focus back to the feet.
No need to judge or become frustrated if the mind wanders,
And it will.
Simply bring the focus back as many times as you need.
Now as you continue walking naturally,
Expand your attention to vision.
Bring your full attention to what you can see,
Taking in the various colours,
The shapes,
The movements,
The play of light and shadow.
Put aside any mental commentary,
Labelling or judging about what you see,
And instead just being present with what is here to be seen.
Again if your mind wanders,
Guide it back to being fully present to what you can see.
Now for a few minutes,
Expand your attention to sound.
Whether you're indoors or outdoors,
Pay attention to sounds.
Notice sounds as nothing more or less than sound,
Without getting caught up in whether you find them pleasant or unpleasant.
Again if your mind wanders,
Guide it back to being fully present to what you can hear.
Now as you continue walking naturally,
Expand your attention to vision.
Now for a few minutes,
Expand your attention to smell.
Whether you're indoors or outdoors,
Pay attention to smells.
Notice smells or fragrances as nothing more or less than smells,
Without getting caught up in whether you find them pleasant or unpleasant.
Again if your mind wanders,
Guide it back to being fully present to what you can smell.
Now for a few moments,
Expand your attention to how you're feeling.
Notice how you're feeling right now and just accept what that feeling is without judging it.
Are you feeling relaxed?
Are you feeling calm?
Are you feeling something else?
Check in with your body and how it is feeling on this walk.
And if your mind wanders,
Guide it back to being fully present to what you are feeling right here,
Right now.
Now bring the focus back to the awareness of the physical sensation on the soles of the feet.
No matter where your mind wandered to in this practice,
Just notice the feet again touching the ground.
Begin to coordinate your breath with the pace of your steps.
Each step can be one count of breaths and you can inhale and exhale for as long as is comfortable for you.
Align the breath with the movement of the body.
Inhale on each step and exhale on each step.
Happy zarpp dreamed walk.
Still by no one's.
You You When you're ready to end your walking meditation,
Pause and take one deep slow mindful breath in and out.
Proceed with the rest of your day with an intention to take this mindful awareness
