Welcome to the walking meditation.
Before you begin,
Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Become aware of your soles of the feet.
Your feet are grounded on the floor.
And as you begin walking,
Walk at a natural pace.
Place your hands wherever comfortable.
On your belly,
Behind your back,
Or perhaps at your sides.
With each step,
Pay attention to the lifting and falling of your foot.
Notice movement in your legs and the rest of your body.
Notice any shifting of your body from side to side.
Whatever else captures your attention,
Come back to the sensation of walking.
Your mind will wander.
That's simply what the mind does.
So without frustration,
Guide it back again as many times as you need.
Particularly outdoors,
Maintain a larger sense of the environment around you.
Taking it all in,
Staying safe and aware.
Now for a few minutes,
Expand your attention to the sounds around you.
Whether you're indoors,
Or in the woods,
Or in a city,
Pay attention to sounds without labeling or naming,
Or getting caught up in whether you find them pleasant or unpleasant.
Notice sounds as nothing more or less than sound.
Shift your awareness to your sense of smell.
Again,
Simply notice.
Don't push or force yourself to feel anything at all.
Just bring attention to the sense of smell,
Whatever you discover.
As you keep walking,
You may feel the sunshine on your face,
Or perhaps the touch of the wind.
Just let yourself to feel this.
Let yourself enjoy this sunshine or little breeze.
And be aware how does it make you feel.
Now move to vision,
Colors and objects,
And whatever else you see.
Patiently coming back each time something grabs your attention.
Or even if something needs addressing,
Like avoiding an obstacle.
Staying natural,
Not overly rigid,
Not daydreaming and drifting,
But with sustained awareness.
Keep this open awareness of everything around you,
Wherever you are.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to change.
Just try to be fully aware of your surroundings.
In the last moments,
Come back to awareness of the physical sensations of walking.
Wherever else your mind found itself throughout the practice.
Notice your feet again,
Touching the ground.
Notice again the moments in your body with each step.
When you are ready to end your walking meditation,
Stand still for a moment again.
Pause in,
Choose a moment to end the practice.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
As you finish,
Consider how you might bring this kind of awareness into the rest of your day.
Have a beautiful day.
