Welcome to today's meditation.
I'm Lisa Bratney-Smith.
Today we will be adding movement to our meditation to provide an opportunity to practice meditation
in our daily lives.
We can engage in walking meditation as a practice in and of itself,
Or we can add a few moments
of meditative awareness to walking that we engage in throughout our day.
The rhythmic movement of walking naturally regulates our nervous system from the brainstem
up.
Bringing mindful awareness to our walking helps us to find moments of down-regulation
even in the midst of a busy day,
Which decreases our stress levels and increases our resilience.
For this practice,
You can walk back and forth between two points,
Walk laps indoors
or outdoors,
Walk on a treadmill,
Or walk in nature.
Whatever walking opportunity is available to you at this moment will work just fine.
If you are experiencing mobility issues,
Please remain seated or lying down.
As you listen to the meditation instructions,
You can gently roll your feet forward and
backward,
Or you can envision yourself walking with the instructions.
Let's begin by standing with our feet about hip-width apart.
Bring the palms of the hands together,
Rubbing them back and forth,
Bringing focus and energy
into the palms.
Then gently begin to brush your fingertips across your forehead,
Temples,
And cheeks,
Brushing away any worries or expectations.
Now bring the fingertips to your eyes,
Palms to your cheeks,
Turning your attention inward,
And take a couple of deep,
Cleansing breaths.
Allow the weight of your body to sink into your feet as you float your hands down.
Extend your spine up toward the sky and let your shoulders fall back and down.
Gently open your eyes and bring your awareness to the path in front of you.
Then gently shifting your weight forward and backward,
Noticing the sensations on the
bottom of your feet.
Now as you inhale,
Slowly take one step forward,
Rolling your foot from heel to toe and noticing
the sensations.
As you exhale,
Take a step with your other foot,
Slowly rolling your foot from heel to
toe and noticing the sensations.
At a slow,
Steady pace,
Continue taking one step after another with your inhale and exhale,
Focusing on the sensations you feel in your feet.
When you notice your mind has wandered,
As it will,
Acknowledging this fact with gentleness
and kindness and then returning your awareness to your breath and then the sensations of your feet.
Feel the connection of your feet to the earth with each step,
Recognizing the support of
the earth beneath you with each step.
Feel into the wonder of gravity at work,
Keeping you grounded through each step.
If you notice that your mind is feeling very distracted,
Adding an additional cognitive
focus can be helpful.
You can count your steps from one to seven or another number that works for you.
You can send the earth peace with each step.
You can send words of kindness to yourself.
You can send words of kindness to others.
Again noticing with kindness and curiosity when your mind has wandered and gently returning
your attention to your focus.
Allow yourself to let go into the rhythm of your walking,
Caressing and connecting
to the earth with each step.
Now gently stop walking.
Take a full breath in and out and notice how you feel,
Allowing the practice to be just
as it was and yourself to be just as you are.
When you're ready,
Returning your attention to your surroundings and I invite you to offer
yourself gratitude for taking this time for yourself and carrying this peaceful feeling
with you as you continue with your day.
