A Walking Meditation

Getting in touch with your breath while you're walking, or just standing outside, is a natural choice if you're trying to be in the present moment. A wonderful time to follow your breath, get some exercise and be more in touch with your surroundings. Music by Chris Collins.
#30

Transcript

Welcome,

And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.

I'm so glad that you've taken the time to share this moment with me.

I know that time is our most valuable commodity,

And I'm pleased you're sharing some of your time with me.

I'm not one who holds to convention in my approach to meditation and mindfulness.

You know that I've found that sitting,

Standing,

Or lying down all work pretty much equally well,

And that the key is that you're comfortable when you meditate.

The breath is the essential part of meditation and mindfulness.

That said,

No one should be surprised that I often get in touch with my breath when I'm walking.

I've mentioned before that my dog Chip and I walk about seven miles a day,

And on many of those days,

I take the time to get in touch with my breath.

It's all in keeping with my philosophy of getting in touch with your breath throughout the day,

And making your meditation practice an integral part of your life.

Getting in touch with your breath while walking is just a natural choice if you're trying to be in the present moment,

Because if you aren't in the present moment,

You're going to fall on your face.

So it's a wonderful time to get in touch with your breath,

To be in the present moment,

And get some exercise and be more in touch with your surroundings.

Our goal during our walking meditation is to be aware of our breath and to be very conscious of the world around us.

And since I'm not walking where you'll be walking,

I'll simply describe what I do in my area,

And you can adapt it to your surroundings and terrain.

Please don't close your eyes unless you're stopped to ponder something,

But I do encourage you to stop and smell the roses along the way.

When walking with Chip,

He loves to stop and investigate things along our path,

So I'm encouraged to stop frequently.

But thinking about Chip and I walking brought me to this realization,

That my walking with my dog is very much like a meditation,

In that I represent the breath and he represents the thoughts.

So like the breath,

I'm walking steady,

Keeping a steady pace as we go down the road.

And just like thoughts,

Chip gets distracted,

And he goes off to smell this plant or go over there and smell where some other dog has been,

Or he sees a squirrel and he wants to go that way.

So it's very much like what we encounter when we're trying to meditate.

You have to try to keep your breath steady and focus on that.

And just let the thoughts,

Like Chip,

Wander back and forth and let them pass away.

Let them go.

There was a time long ago when I used to fight the dog because I wanted to be in control of both of us.

But then I realized that I can have my walk and he can have his walk.

It's just the dog is motivated by a sense of smell,

So he's going to look at things that smell good to him,

Things that I can't smell at all.

Much like thoughts,

They don't pertain to our breathing,

So we just need to let them go,

Like I do with Chip.

No judgment.

So as we begin,

Let's take in a deep breath through our nose and then exhale through our mouth,

Letting out a sigh.

Now just breathe normally.

Follow your breath and be very aware of your breath.

Be aware of the in breath and the out breath.

And if you're walking,

Your breathing won't be faster than when you're at rest,

And that's okay.

Our goal here is to be mindful as we explore our world in this moment.

Just continue to follow your breath,

Breathing in and breathing out as we hit the road.

And just as an aside,

If you don't feel like walking,

Or you don't have time,

Or the weather is bad,

You can also just stand or sit outside and appreciate all that's going on around you.

Walk at whatever pace you feel comfortable with,

And as you move through your world,

Take note of all the things you encounter.

Chip and I often come across squirrels,

And his nature is to chase them,

But when he's being mindful,

He just admires them from afar.

Being in the present moment leaves living completely in the moment you're in.

That means not worrying about things in the past,

Because those are all gone and unchangeable.

But it also means not spending a lot of time worrying about the future,

Because that doesn't even exist.

The only moment we're concerned about is this one.

And in this moment,

We're walking or standing outside,

Just breathing and noticing the world around us.

Breathing in and breathing out,

One breath at a time.

Perhaps you encounter some birds along your path.

Today Chip and I encountered a couple of doves that were pecking at the ground and cooing.

Breathing in and breathing out.

As I'm breathing in and out,

I catch the scent of lilacs,

Which are numerous in my neighborhood.

It's easy to be mindful when you're walking.

In some ways,

It's easier because you're moving through the world.

All you have to do is have the intention to be mindful and stay in the moment,

And then move your feet.

Being in this moment,

I want to experience as much as I can.

I want to feel the wind on my skin and in my hair.

I want to feel the sun on my skin.

I want to touch the roughness of the bark on the trees and the leaves on the shrubs.

I want to see and appreciate any people or creatures that I come across along the way.

As you walk,

Sniff the air to see what's going on around you.

On our walk today,

We passed a lot of lilac bushes,

And I smile because those were my mother's favorite flower.

I can smell some roses along the road too,

And I can tell that someone had a campfire last night.

And as we revel in the beauty and wonder of the world around us,

We're just breathing,

Breathing in and breathing out,

One breath at a time.

There's always so much going on in the world,

And even if it seems all is quiet,

All you have to do is stop and listen and see that so much is going on all around you.

The movement of the leaves in the trees,

The meowing of cats that are trying to get back into the house,

The bark of neighborhood dogs communicating with each other.

So much going on,

Though at first glance it seems like there isn't.

There's movement and sound and smells and activity all around you.

Things to see and smell and feel if you just remain in the present moment,

Breathing in and breathing out.

By taking a walk this way,

We can accomplish several things.

We can get in touch with our breath,

We can get some valuable exercise,

We can truly live in this moment and experience the wonder of it all.

We can come to more fully appreciate everything in the world around us.

Ask yourself,

How often have you walked and not even noticed the flowers along the way or the birds overhead?

How many times have you listened to someone and not heard them?

How many times have you seen beauty yet never noticed it?

By walking in your world in a mindful way,

Allowing yourself to notice all the beauty and wonder all around you,

While following your breath,

You will never see the world in the same way again.

The world that you may float through now will come alive.

You will be more meaningful to you and to all those around you because if you can be more present,

It will impact every aspect of your life and you will find peace.

Now as we come to a close stretch and come back into the room and realize just how good it is to be alive.

Go for a walk like this and try to truly experience all that is around you.

I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session and I'm so thankful that we shared this time together.

Till next time.

Reviews

Never thought and seen this picture while I was walking with my dog but today will surely observe ❤️
Thank you this valueable insights!!

What a delightful meditation, Michael and Chip- I felt as I walked with you there. Such importance of nature abd breathing in every detail. Thank you so much for it 💚🐕‍🦺🙏🏽🌾🦋🌳🌲

That was a beautiful meditation. Perfect. Thanks so much 🙏🏻