This is your walking meditation.
Before we begin,
I want to make a quick note about safety.
Please make sure to keep your eyes open so you can notice any hazards around you.
It's important that you can hear me,
But make sure to also be able to hear what is happening around you.
On that note,
Let's begin.
I invite you to plant your feet firmly on the ground and tune into the sensation of standing,
The feeling of support and stability beneath you.
Take a conscious,
Deep breath in through your nose and release it slowly through your mouth.
This time is for you and your well-being.
When you're ready,
Begin walking.
Walk at a pace that feels comfortable for you,
One that allows you to engage a relaxed breath.
Notice the rhythm of your steps,
How one foot pushes off the ground first,
Rhythmically followed by the other.
Notice how it feels to push off the ground and have your body follow.
Each and every step taking you forward into a state of presence and wholeness.
We can continue to ground ourselves into this experience by using our senses.
Look around you and notice what you see.
Now take an intentional look around and see if you can notice specific colors and textures around you.
If this is a path you walk often,
Can you spot details you've never noticed before?
Quicken or slow your pace in ways that allows you to immerse yourself in the details of the landscape you are walking in.
Allow each new thing you see to ground you back into the present moment.
If you notice your thoughts taking you away,
Simply come back without forcing it.
Consider each step a returning home,
An opportunity to begin again and reconnect with presence.
Now let's widen our awareness and notice what you can hear.
Notice the sounds around you.
The loud,
Most obvious ones.
Then gradually become more aware of the more subtle sounds in your environment,
Allowing yourself to widen your awareness inch by inch,
Noticing new sounds more and more.
Maybe if you're outside,
You can hear the whistling of the wind.
See how much you can hear beyond your earphones.
If you're inside,
Maybe you can hear the murmuring of a computer or refrigerator.
Allow each new thing you hear to ground you into the present moment.
If new thoughts come up and pull you away,
Allow them to simply fade away with the different sounds coming into and out of your conscious awareness.
How wide can you expand your awareness?
What is the furthest sound you can hear?
Now bringing your awareness to touch.
See if you can notice the feeling of your clothes brushing against your skin.
Maybe you can feel a cool breeze on body parts that are exposed.
If you feel comfortable,
Graze your hands gently over something close to you.
Maybe it's a bench,
A wall,
Or the bark of a tree.
Take a deep breath here and allow it to connect with the sensation of touch and ground you deeper into the present moment.
Tune your awareness and notice if you can feel yourself breathing.
Maybe you can feel your chest rising and falling,
Or feel your breath moving from your belly up through and out your nose.
Allow yourself to fall deeper into the present moment.
If you meet any resistance,
Any thoughts or emotions that pull on your attention,
Simply bring your attention to your breath or anything you can feel on you or around you.
Now bring your awareness to your smell.
What can you smell around you?
Allow each new smell to ground you into the present moment.
Slowly become aware of different smells in your environment and see if you can stay neutral about them without judging them as pleasant or unpleasant,
Good or bad.
Begin to cool down.
Become aware of your steps once again.
Before we end this meditation,
I invite you to repeat to yourself the following phrase.
I am home.
I am here.
I'll mind the time while you repeat this phrase to yourself.
I am home.
I am here.
See if you can match the rhythm of the phrase to the rhythm of your steps.
I am home.
I am here.
Allowing each step to bring you home to center,
Home to yourself.
Connecting now to a feeling of gratitude,
Acknowledging and honoring yourself for taking the time today to practice this meditation and make a positive contribution to your wellness.
I will ask you to stop walking now and settle into the stillness.
We will end together with three final deep breaths.
Take a deep breath in and release it out.
Take a deeper breath in,
Deeper than the one before,
And release it out.
One final deep breath in,
The deepest one yet,
Inhaling from the bottom of your belly all the way to the crown of your head,
And release it out.
