Welcome to this walking meditation for indoor or treadmill walking.
No scenery required,
Nowhere to go.
Start your treadmill at an easy,
Comfortable pace,
Or if you're walking indoors,
Find a stretch of floor or a loop around your space.
If we're starting to move,
Just stand for a moment.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Notice the weight of your body.
Held so easily by the surface beneath you.
Take a moment to center.
And ground.
Taking a deep breath in.
And letting it go.
You don't have to be anywhere but here for the next 10 minutes.
Nothing to rush.
And to finish.
Justice.
When you're ready,
Begin walking.
At an easy pace.
Nothing to prove.
No need to push.
Notice that this walk is going nowhere.
And let that be a relief.
Not a problem.
There's no destination pulling at you.
No scenery telling you how far you have left to go.
Just the rhythm of your body moving in place.
Let your breath find the rhythm of your steps.
Don't force it.
Just notice where it naturally falls.
Breathe in for two steps.
And out for Tuesday.
If your mind wants to rush.
To speed up the pace.
To check the time.
To already be finished.
Just notice that.
Brushing feels so familiar.
It's the pace most of us live our lives,
Each and every day.
But you don't need to rush here.
Let your pace stay easy.
In slow motion.
Even if your mind wants to hurry.
This isn't a performance.
This is a practice.
Practice in mindfulness.
To sin presence.
Practice in slowing down.
Bring your attention to your body.
Notice your arms swinging.
Notice your chest rising and falling.
Notice the effort in your legs,
Carrying you nowhere.
And doing it well.
There's nothing to fix about the way you're walking.
About the pace,
About the rhythm,
About the flow.
We're simply noticing here.
As you keep walking,
Let's bring in a little bit of gratitude.
Think of one thing your body has done for you today without even asking it to.
Maybe it got you out of bed.
Maybe it's carrying you right now.
Taking a moment to be grateful for all that your body does for you,
For its strength,
For its ability.
And now think of one person.
Makes your life a little bit softer.
You don't have to do anything with this thought.
Just let it sit with you for a few steps.
Maybe bringing a full picture of them into your mind.
Hearing their voice.
Sending them gratitude.
Think of one thing.
Can be small or large that went right today.
Maybe you're doing this practice in the morning.
Middle of the day,
The evening.
No matter what time,
No matter how much day has passed.
Thinking of one thing.
That has gone right.
Continue walking here.
Continue breathing.
Keeping your pace.
No need to speed up.
Notice how different this pace feels from the rest of your day.
Most of your life probably moves faster than this.
Rushing from one task to the next.
One tab to the next,
One demand to the next.
This is what it feels like to slow down on purpose.
Not because you earned a break.
But because your body and mind need this.
Simply because you're human.
As we come toward the end of this walking meditation.
Take one more full breath in through your nose.
And let it out slowly through your mouth.
Embracing these last few moments of this slower pace.
Of the slowdown.
And whenever you're ready,
You can begin to slow your pace even further.
If your walk is complete.
Stepping off the treadmill.
Finishing this practice.
But before you move on with your day.
Noticing how this feels.
And remembering you don't have to leave this pace behind.
You can carry more of this slowness.
Softness.
Presence.
Wherever you go next.
And for our final gratitude.
Taking a moment.
To be grateful for taking this time for yourself today.
Being intentional.
And for showing us.
