Walking Meditation For Stress Release

This is a guided walking track designed to help you release stress and become mindful. We’ll start by slowing the breath and tuning into your senses. From there, we’ll repeat a simple affirmation 'I am okay, I can regulate myself'. We’ll finish with box breathing timed to your steps, so you stay grounded and calm as you walk.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to the session.

Today we're going to be practicing a walking meditation for stress release.

So if you haven't already,

Find yourself a space or a place outside in nature,

In the backyard,

Or in the home,

And just begin slowly walking.

Just walking a touch slower than your normal pace,

And begin to take in what is arising from your senses.

Noticing the different sights,

The different sounds,

The different smells,

And the different sensations that are arising in this moment.

And just taking a slow,

Deep,

Sighing breath in through the nose,

Holding,

And then releasing with an audible sigh.

Maintaining the slow walking,

Just taking another couple of slow,

Calm,

Sighing breaths in through the nose,

And then audibly releasing.

So as you're looking around,

Paying attention to what you can see,

What you can hear,

What you can feel,

And what you can smell in this moment,

Begin to add a positive affirmation,

Or a mantra.

Maybe connect it to your steps,

Or to your breathing.

You can choose whatever words you like,

Or use the words,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

You can repeat those words internally,

You can connect them to the breath,

Or to your steps,

Or if you feel,

You could even say them out loud.

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

And you are okay,

And indeed,

This practice,

This meditation,

Taking these steps,

Slowing down the breathing,

Focusing on what you can see,

Hear,

Feel,

And smell in this moment,

Will regulate you.

So it's true,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

So maintaining your focus on the sensations arising,

On what you can see,

What you can hear,

What you can feel,

What you can smell in this moment,

We're going to continue to slow down the breathing,

There's a practice known as box breathing,

And it's a very good practice to reduce stress,

Calm the body down,

Calm the nervous system down,

And help regulate.

The basic practice is that you breathe in for four seconds,

Hold for four seconds,

Breathe out for four seconds,

Hold for four seconds,

And then repeat.

But because we're walking,

Rather than using seconds to count,

We can use footsteps.

You are walking slowly,

You are noticing what you can see,

Feel,

Hear,

And smell.

You are repeating to yourself,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

And you're going to begin controlling the breath.

Now you'll have to experiment to find a pace of breathing and walking that works for you,

But you might breathe in for four steps,

Hold for four steps,

Breathe out for four steps,

Hold for four steps,

And breathe out for four steps.

Now if you try that and it feels a bit too quick or a bit too fast,

You could either adjust your walking pace to be a bit slower,

Perhaps change the count to every three steps or five steps or six steps.

The way you know you've hit the right amount is that your nervous system is calming down,

And that you can maintain the pace of walking and breathing comfortably,

But it's slower than your normal.

So now for the next few minutes,

Let's combine all of these practices.

Slowly walking,

Connecting the breath to the steps,

Breathing in for four steps,

Or whatever steps work for you,

Holding for four steps,

Breathing out for four steps,

Holding for four steps,

And continuing that process.

All while paying attention to the things you can see,

Feel,

Hear,

And smell.

Adding the internal mantra or affirmation,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

Let's try this together for the next five minutes.

And then we'll come to a gentle end to the session.

Slowly walking,

Connecting the breath to the steps,

Focusing on what you can see,

Hear,

Smell,

And feel,

And adding the internal mantra,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself.

Okay,

Just taking a moment to check in to the feelings in the body and in the mind.

The approaches offered in this session all combine together to help calm the mind and the body,

By slowing down the breath,

By focusing on the sensations arising,

And by adding the words,

I am okay,

I can regulate myself,

We are simultaneously working with the mind,

The body,

And the nervous system to calm down,

To release stress,

To relax.

If you need to repeat this session or continue,

I invite you to do so.

Thank you,

And happy walking.

I'll see you in the next session.