Hello and thank you for practicing with me.
For this practice we'll do a walking meditation together.
When we think of meditating,
The mind often associates the practice with sitting meditation.
However,
Walking meditation is a tradition that is just as important and just as meaningful,
Though often not as utilized outside of retreat centers in the west.
It's a wonderful complement to a regular sitting practice or a wonderful standalone practice as well.
You may choose to do your walking meditation practice inside or outside with shoes on or without shoes on.
You don't need a special location or a great view to do a walking meditation,
Though of course these things can be nice to have.
What is important is that your environment is comfortable,
Relatively quiet,
And that you feel safe where you are.
You may even choose to do your walking meditation with your eyes closed for parts of your practice.
For a walking meditation,
All you need is a space to walk that is about the length of a yoga mat or about 10 steps long.
The exact length of your path does not matter.
Before we get started,
Know that when we walk in walking meditations,
We are not walking to get anywhere specific or to get vigorous exercise.
Thich Nhat Hanh says,
When you walk,
Arrive with every step.
That is walking meditation.
There is nothing else to it.
We will walk back and forth along the same path that we designate and we'll walk much slower than we are accustomed to.
The slower we walk,
The easier it is to be as absorbed in the experience as possible.
I've been asked before what one should do with their hands while doing a walking meditation.
It's not so important what the hands are doing,
So long as they are relaxed and not fidgeting.
The hands can be by the sides of the body or gently clasped in the front or the back of the body.
Now let's begin.
Start by arriving in a stable standing position.
You may choose to close your eyes if you'd like.
Notice the weight of your body pressing into your feet and your feet supported by the earth beneath you.
As you stand still here,
Notice the sensations in your feet,
Ankles,
Knees,
Hips,
Your back,
Shoulders,
And neck.
Notice the posture of your body and the way that you are held in space.
What are the sensations you feel on your skin?
Do you feel clothing on your body?
Do you feel the temperature or movement of the air around you?
Can you detect sensations of movement associated with the breath?
Can you hear the breath?
What sounds do you hear?
What other sounds do you hear?
What thoughts do you observe in the mind?
Krishna Murti says that all we need to do in order to meditate is to become highly sensitive.
In this process of noticing all these elements of the present moment,
We are becoming highly sensitive to this experience.
When we start to walk any of these components of experience,
Sensations on the skin,
Feelings of feet on the ground,
Or the thoughts in the mind,
May hold our attention at any given point in time.
It's okay for the mind to acknowledge all of these things.
However,
When we begin to walk,
What's important is that the mind does not judge any of these facets of experience as good or bad.
We simply acknowledge that these things are a part of the present moment,
And this present moment cannot be changed in any way.
It may be nice to begin by just shifting your weight slowly from one foot to the other.
What is it like for the body to move in this way?
What are the sensations that arrive and pass?
Allow these sensations to drift in and out of your awareness,
Not clinging to what has already happened and not anticipating what will happen,
Rather just allowing the present moment experience to flood your awareness.
Now we'll add in some additional movement.
Take one slow step forward and pause.
Notice the shift in weight.
Acknowledge all of the little times that you've been waiting for.
Acknowledge all of the little tiny movements that had to happen in order for you to take this one step.
The bend in the knee,
The movement of the hip,
The ankle,
The toes,
And the strength that was required from your muscles to make this step forward.
Slowly,
With great attention to detail,
Continue to walk the length of your path back and forth as slowly as you see fit.
Acknowledge all that there is to pay attention to,
All of the minute details of experience that are involved in this simple activity that we do so often without really being attuned to the experience.
What is the smallest,
Most subtle part of this experience of walking that you can tune into and truly notice?
If you find that it's difficult for the mind to concentrate on the experience of walking,
It can be helpful to adopt a mantra or a phrase to repeat.
You may choose to label each movement with step,
Shift,
Lift.
Step the foot forward,
Shift your weight,
Lift your other foot.
Step,
Shift,
Lift.
Step,
Shift,
Lift.
If another mantra fits your experience better,
You can choose to repeat any helpful words to yourself.
Try to keep the cadence of your steps consistent to help the body ease into this slow,
Steady rhythm.
It may even be helpful to focus on keeping the breath slow,
Which will in turn keep the pace of your walking slow.
If your eyes are open,
Try not to fixate your attention on any one object in your visual field.
Try to take in as much as you can of the world around you.
Become highly sensitive to this present moment,
Even to the more nuanced and subtle parts of it.
Arrive again with every step.
When the mind wanders,
Which inevitably it will,
Return your focus to the sensations of walking or to your mantra.
You may choose to repeat any helpful words to yourself.
If your mind wanders,
Which inevitably it will,
Return your focus to the sensations of walking or to your mantra.
If your speed of walking picks up or becomes irregular,
Allow yourself to slow back down.
Use the sound of your steps like a metronome to guide the pace of your movements.
Try not to be frustrated with yourself if this type of meditation feels difficult at first.
Like all new things,
It takes time to learn and time to feel comfortable with it.
If the mind seems busy and unfocused,
Respond gently and with compassion.
Rather than labeling this experience as bad or upsetting,
Acknowledge,
Ah,
The mind is busy today.
The same regard can be given to any emotional experience that arises.
We'll spend a few more moments walking and then we'll find stillness again.
Thank you.
Begin to find stillness.
You may choose to remain standing or you can choose to sit down.
Spend a few moments here and noticing any sensations in the body.
Notice sensations of breath.
Notice sounds and sights in the environment around you.
Thank you for your practice today.
