Mindful Walking - 35 minutes
Mindful walking. An exercise to calm the mind and find clarity in the present moment. Feel relaxed and calm by using the body and the different senses. After following this guidance you have taken between 3500 and 4500 steps. A healthy exercise for the body and mind. Music: "The Inner Calling" composed by Music Of Wisdom
Transcript
Welcome,
My name is Martijn and I will be hosting this walking meditation.
I'll guide you through a 40 minute walking meditation.
During this meditation,
I will offer you tools to connect with the present moment through your body,
The breath and your other senses.
By using your body as a meditation tool during this walk,
You'll experience more clarity and you will notice that you'll be able to make more conscious decisions when it comes to self-care,
Relationships or work.
And when you walk this meditation at an average speed of about 5 kilometers an hour,
You will have taken between 3,
500 and 4,
500 steps and thus also feed your body with energy and healthy movement.
Then now,
Get ready to start this walking meditation.
Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and prepare a route in mind of at least 40 minutes.
Wear clothes that are comfortable and appropriate for the weather.
Self-care starts right here,
Looking and feeling what you need with attention.
Then continue your way outside.
First walk for a few minutes.
Walk towards a place where you can start by standing still for a while,
Without being distracted too much by traffic.
And during these first minutes of walking,
Give the body and mind time to unwind.
Follow the pace that your body indicates at the moment.
Maybe your pace is fast or slow,
Perhaps the steps are big and powerful.
Simply follow whatever pace the body currently needs to unwind the body and mind for the first two minutes before we stop walking.
And now,
Start to slow down your pace,
Preparing yourself to stop the body from moving at a place where you can stand still for a bit.
And then stop walking and stand still for a moment.
Direct your eyes to the ground,
About five feet in front of you,
And be aware of standing.
Notice the contact with the ground,
Your feet in your shoes,
The weight of your body supported by your feet.
Notice how your body is constantly,
Suddenly,
Moving to maintain balance.
And while you're standing here,
Maybe you can also notice a mood,
Emotions or thoughts.
Simply check in with yourself.
How are you doing today?
You don't have to change anything here.
You can kindly notice whatever is there and give it loving attention during the rest of the walk.
Give space to everything there is and slowly prepare yourself for the transition to movement.
Lift your left foot and place it in front of you,
Slowly,
With awareness.
Be aware of the body throughout the entire movement,
All the muscles that work,
The balance that is distributed from one foot to another,
The foot that floats through the air and makes contact with the ground again.
Then move your right foot and be present for the entire movement from start to finish.
And so start your walking movement with attention,
At your pace,
Awareness with every step.
Follow a pace that helps you to keep your awareness with the body in this current moment.
During a walking meditation,
You focus on the sensations of the body during the walking movement.
You will notice that your attention will wander during the walk.
And this is simply how the mind works.
One moment you're present and the next the mind wanders.
And as soon as you notice that,
You kindly return your awareness to the walking movement,
The feet on the ground,
The movement of the body.
During this walk,
You'll be fully present of movement and the sensations of the feet,
Lifting,
Moving,
Putting down the foot,
Feeling gravity,
Shifting balance and moving to the other foot.
Can you notice all the movements and sensations?
Or perhaps you're walking too fast or maybe too slow?
See what pace suits you.
You've been on the road for several minutes now and so I would like to invite you to expand your awareness.
Bring your attention to the movement of the breath,
The place in the body where you can notice this movement best,
Where it is most vivid for you.
Maybe it's the rising and falling of the belly,
The expansion and relaxation of the chest or perhaps the flow of air that flows in and out of your nose.
If you've connected with your breath,
Stay here for a moment while walking,
Connecting yourself deeper into this moment.
You may be able to notice whether the breath is fast or slow,
Deep or shallow.
Whatever it is,
It's fine the way it is.
You don't have to change anything about it.
The body knows how to breathe and you simply observe.
Follow the movement of the breath on each inhalation and each exhalation.
Try not to focus on controlling the breath movement but let it simply be a reminder of the present moment,
A representation of the now,
The place where you are currently walking,
The sensations you feel right now,
The thoughts that come but also go,
Your mood,
Your emotions.
And every time you are carried away by the river of sensations,
Reconnect with your breath or with the feet on the ground.
Where is your attention now?
Sometimes we get lost and we're not fully present.
And that's just simply how the mind works.
This is a practice.
Practicing to be in the present moment more often by reconnecting with it over and over again.
There is no right or wrong.
So whenever you notice that your mind is wandering,
Gently return your attention to the movement of the breath.
Then I'd like to invite you to expand your awareness even further.
Now don't just focus on the breath or on the feet but bring your full awareness to the sensations of seeing.
Look around you,
Be aware of the image you can see,
Observe with attention and curiosity.
Notice distances,
Depths,
Colors,
Structures and movement.
Notice how everything moves around you without you having to do anything.
You simply watch and observe.
Just like thoughts,
You don't have to do anything for this.
Images just come and go and you just have to watch and observe.
Then take the time to list the things you see,
To label them.
And not just the object,
But label whatever you see by using color,
Shape,
Distance,
Size,
Depth and so on.
Be fully present with the sense of sight for several minutes while walking.
Be curious.
What can you discover?
What is new?
How can you look at something you have seen multiple times in a new and different way?
Be curious,
Aware and present.
And so you might notice that everything always changes.
Nothing stays the same.
Just like in our lives,
Everything is always different.
Everything is always moving and changing.
And it doesn't have to affect you.
Like you are walking here,
Right now,
In the midst of all that change,
Kindly continuing your walk,
Watching and observing,
Without having to do or change anything.
You pass by roads,
Fields or parks,
You bump into cyclists or other walkers,
Birds fly by and you walk firm and grounded in the midst of all the commotion of nature and the city,
Step by step,
Your way forward,
Connected with this moment,
The feet,
The breath,
The sight.
And now bring the attention to the hearing.
Be fully in touch with the sensations of hearing.
What can you notice,
Except for this meditation?
Can you expand your hearing?
Are there any sounds around you?
Are the sounds near or far?
Are they loud or soft?
Are the tones high or low?
And do they move fast or slow?
Are they far or near?
What can you hear,
Except from this gentle background music?
We are used to naming sounds accordingly to the object that causes the sound,
Such as car,
Animals,
Wind.
I would now like to ask you to notice the sounds as they reach the ear.
Like a vibration through the air,
Entering your ear,
Without having to name it.
Can you notice how the sounds work in the body?
Try to zoom in completely on the sense of hearing.
You may find yourself occasionally wandering off and getting carried away in your thoughts.
When that happens,
Be kind and direct your attention back to the hearing,
To the sounds with a smile.
And maybe you can even notice the silences between the sounds,
Noticing that the silence is always there.
Always there.
And sounds simply arise from the silence and they come and go,
Constantly changing.
And that's how you stay completely in touch with the present moment,
The feet,
The breath,
The sight and the hearing.
A rich experience,
A walk filled with intensity.
And perhaps notice that intensity does not always come from doing a lot or experiencing a lot.
No,
Intention comes with attention.
Attention to the moment,
Awareness,
Here and now.
And then continue your walk towards the end of this walk and add one last sense.
It's the sense of smell.
Do you also notice any smells?
What do you smell?
Or you don't smell nothing at all?
Well,
That's also okay.
Then you simply observe that there is nothing to smell.
And now,
With your hands full of sensations,
Let go of the attention from a specific part and continue your walk in open awareness for a while.
Observe whatever arises.
If your attention is on your feet,
Then your attention is on the feet.
If your attention is on the breath,
It's on the breath.
And when it's at hearing,
Then you hear.
Be open to whatever comes up.
There's no need to reject anything,
No need to change or chase anything.
Be present,
Here in this moment,
During this walk.
You can now choose to continue this walk with open awareness,
Being aware of how the mind can wander off in thoughts about the future or the past.
And simply bring your awareness back to one of the senses.
You can also choose to end the walk and find your way back home and hold on to this sense of awareness for the rest of your day or evening.
My guidance comes to an end right here.
Feel free to leave a review or send me a donation.
It helps me a lot to make new content and I appreciate your generosity.
I hope to see you next time.
With love,
Martijn
