Welcome to this mindful walking meditation.
It is true that we can turn almost anything into a meditation.
This is because meditation simply means choosing to place your awareness on something.
And when you've noticed your mind has strayed to thinking about something else,
Returning your attention to the point of focus you set intent on.
It is a practice that you can apply to almost anything in life.
Our thoughts are constantly coming and endlessly going.
We cannot have more than one thought at once.
So why is it that we sometimes let thoughts consume us,
Bringing us down to the point where we even lower our self-esteem,
Tearing down the natural confidence that we can be our best?
Meditation can help you bring about a better understanding of how to use your thoughts to their best advantage,
Creating the life that you deserve to live.
This session will focus on a walking meditation.
You may be walking while you do this session,
Or you can simply just relax and imagine you're taking a walk somewhere.
Either way,
The brain works just as well,
Because when you close your eyes and use your imagination,
The mind thinks that you are really having that experience.
To begin,
Take a nice deep breath in,
Becoming aware of your body expanding as it breathes.
Then when you let your breath out,
Allow your body to relax.
Breathe in again deeply,
And when you breathe out,
Allow your body to relax even more.
If you are in a nice,
Comfortable position and imagining the last time you were taking a long walk outdoors,
Perhaps through nature,
You can close your eyes to enhance your ability to visualize.
And if you are out on a walk right now,
Begin to tune in to your footsteps.
Allow the sensations of the left foot making contact with the ground after the right foot happening in an endless sequence.
Left foot,
Right foot.
Left foot,
Right foot.
You can either say to yourself as you walk,
Or you can say,
One step,
Two step.
One step,
Two step.
And whenever you notice that your mind has wandered away from thinking about the back and forth balance of your steps,
Return your attention to the task of labeling the steps.
Left foot,
Right foot.
Left foot,
Right foot.
Now draw your attention to the feeling of the heels touching the ground first,
Followed by the balls of the foot,
Then the toes.
Heels first,
Then toes,
Heels,
Toes,
Heels,
Toes.
Notice this gentle rhythm that happens so naturally for you.
Let your mind wander now,
Easily forgetting about counting your steps or labeling them in any way.
Just let your body walk for you.
Where does your body want to take you?
Notice if you'd like to speed up a little,
Then quicken your step.
Or maybe you feel like slowing down.
Make your strides long and relaxed.
Allow your body to change as needed to whatever feels good for you.
Now tune into your breath.
Can you notice how it's flowing?
Does the rhythm of your breath match the rhythm of your step in some way?
It's okay if your mind takes you away from focusing on the breath as you walk.
Simply,
As soon as you realize you've forgotten to think about your breath and how walking goes hand in hand with it,
Return your awareness gently back to walking and breathing.
Without our thoughts,
We would have nothing to return to.
This is the discipline of meditation.
This is how you train your mind to focus.
This is the practice of changing your life for the better.
It's like going to the gym for the mind.
Returning awareness to the feet,
Maybe you can even notice the sounds of your steps.
The sound may change as the surface below changes.
You can hear your footsteps louder on harder surfaces,
Getting quiet when walking through grass or earth.
One step,
Two step.
One step,
Two step.
Or right foot,
Left foot,
Right foot,
Left foot.
As you walk,
Your arms move gently back and forth as well,
Swaying with your body to keep balance naturally.
Become aware of the movement of your arms and hands.
Perhaps your arms are moving just a little because you're walking slowly.
Or maybe they are making longer motions because you are walking faster.
The swing of your arms keeps up with the pace of your stride.
When your thoughts stray,
Give yourself a gentle smile,
Returning your awareness to the feeling of your arms swinging by your sides so naturally and easily.
As this walking meditation comes to a close,
Become aware of one last thing on your walk.
Look up and around you and give thanks to the nature that has been providing you with oxygen on this refreshing walk.
Notice the greenness of the leaves and how they ask for nothing in return.
They simply give you fresh air to breathe.
Breathe in deeply one last time,
Feeling a deep gratitude for Mother Earth.
If you were imagining your walk,
Gently begin to open your eyes.
Or if you are still walking,
You can continue on your mindful walk.
