Hello and welcome to today's meditation.
In today's meditation we'll be doing something a little different.
We're going to be doing a walking meditation.
This meditation can be done outside or inside as you walk around a room or several rooms in your home or hotel,
Wherever you happen to be.
Wherever you are,
Begin by standing upright with both feet planted firmly in the ground,
Your hands either at your sides or folded in front of you.
Take a moment and take in a nice deep inhale through your nose and a slow exhale through your mouth.
One more time.
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
Now begin walking at your normal pace and bring your focus to your feet and how they feel as they strike the ground with each step.
Notice their weight,
Their contact with the ground,
How they move from heel to toe,
Switching from one leg to the next.
Bringing your focus to that physical sensation,
The awareness of that contact and the movement.
And as you continue walking,
Bring your awareness now further upwards into your legs,
The motion of your knees and of your hips and bring your attention to whatever sensations you're feeling,
Muscles contracting as you move forward,
The feeling of momentum that's being generated and moving upwards still,
Focusing now on your breath and feeling has your breath increased in speed or has it gotten slower?
Focusing that awareness on your inhale and exhale as you continue walking and shifting that awareness to your heart.
Can you feel the beat of your heart,
The sensation of it in your chest as you're walking?
And now bring your awareness to your surroundings.
Look around you.
What do you see?
If you're outside,
Perhaps it's trees or cars on the road or houses that you're passing by and if you're in a room or a home or a hotel,
Maybe there's artwork on the walls or a particular pattern in some carpeting or furniture placement.
Just really focus on what you see and without judgment,
Without placing any value on it,
Simply noticing it.
Perhaps this is a place or an object that you've walked by a thousand times before,
But have you really noticed it?
As you continue walking,
Bring your awareness to the sounds that you hear.
What things beyond this meditation track can you hear?
Birds,
Cars,
Children playing.
If someone in another room is listening to the television or talking with someone,
Just hone in on something and truly become aware of it,
Its tone,
Its texture.
And now bring your awareness to your sense of smell.
What do you smell along your walk?
Do you smell flowers?
Do you smell freshly cut grass?
If you're in a room or a home,
Do you smell food cooking or laundry in the dryer?
Take this opportunity to connect with a sense of smell with aromas that are always around you but you may not always notice.
Now as you continue on your walk,
Begin to try and incorporate all of these senses for a full experience.
The physical sensation of your feet striking the ground and your legs moving back and forth.
Your breath coming in and out,
Your heart beating,
All while taking in the scenery and the sense and the sounds around you.
Really seeing them in a way you may not have seen them before.
And if your mind begins to wander,
If you get lost in thoughts or thinking about what you have to do after your walk is over,
Start over and start with your feet.
Just begin again.
Bringing in the physical,
The sights,
The sounds,
The smells.
And finally,
Your emotions.
How do you feel taking a walk in this way?
Does it bring up different feelings for you than your normal walking around the house or the neighborhood?
And continue walking for as long as you like,
Enjoying the pace,
Enjoying the experience.
And know that you can do this anytime,
Whether you're taking a walk around your house for a couple of minutes or you're taking a long walk around your neighborhood.
Thank you for joining me for this meditation.
Be well,
Friends.
