Namaste my dear soul.
Walking meditation is an excellent way to begin expanding mindfulness from your meditation space to other activities in life like walking and they reap great benefits.
A couple of things to consider before beginning.
Keep your eyes open at all times.
Secondly be aware of your surroundings always.
Finally have a clear path in front of you either a short one where you could walk to and fro or a path where you could continue walking without any hurdles.
Let's begin.
It's good to have a starting point.
Stand still with both your foot firmly on the ground.
Being aware of your posture and also being aware of the touch of your feet on the ground.
Just like in a seated meditation we sit upright.
Similarly it's good if you stand tall,
Alert and relaxed.
Use your breath as your anchor throughout the meditation.
Now take a deep inhale and fill your belly and enjoy a long relaxing exhale.
Continue the cycle of a long inhale and a deep exhale a couple of more times.
Bring your awareness to your body deep and intense and begin walking at whatever pace feels right for you.
I'm going to leave you to enjoy your walking for about a minute.
Notice the sensations on the foot.
Notice the right foot lifting and landing.
The left foot lifting and landing.
Notice,
Notice,
Notice.
I'll let you enjoy your mindful walk for another 30 seconds.
Observe your body weight shifting each time a feet makes contact with the ground and when your mind wanders,
As it definitely will,
Let the train of thoughts go and gently come back to the sensations on the feet.
As we enjoy this walking meditation,
Mindfulness comes in every time you let a thought go and come back to the awareness of the act of walking.
I'll let you enjoy your mindful walk for another minute.
An excellent mindfulness technique is to label actions and experiences.
So every time your feet contacts the ground,
You could make a mental note.
Contact,
Contact,
Contact or left foot,
Right foot,
Left foot,
Right foot.
Leaving you for a few more moments of mindful walking.
Let's now widen our awareness to include other experiences in the body.
Become aware of the legs move,
How the hips support your legs walking.
Observe the knee bending every time you walk.
Also notice the sway in your arms.
Observe and let your awareness expand to your body and I'll allow you to walk with this awareness for a few moments.
Let's expand our awareness further to our surroundings.
Notice the environment,
The sites,
The people,
The buildings,
The leaves.
Notice the sounds around you and notice the smells.
Label each one of them as you observe them.
Observe without attachment,
Letting each sensation come and go.
Feel the breeze on your skin and also take in the colors of your surroundings.
Everything is welcome in the realm of your awareness.
This phase is the peak of mindful walking.
Immerse in this experience and enjoy this for a few moments.
Now slow your pace gently as you approach the end of your meditation.
Narrow your attention back to your breath.
We are slowly winding down.
Notice how your body breathes on autopilot as you walk.
It's time to arrive at a point you want to stop.
Stand still for a moment and take a couple of deep breaths.
Place your right palm over your heart and with a gentle smile acknowledge the time you dedicated to this practice and the immense benefits it brings.
Carry the mindfulness cultivated during this meditation into the rest of your day.
Thank you for joining me in this mindful walk.
Namaste.
