Walking Meditation This evening I teach you the walking meditation.
Walking meditation is a very important part of the meditation.
Some people mistake that and they think walking is just preparing for the real thing,
For the real meditation.
And that is not true.
You shouldn't see it like that.
Walking is equally important than sitting,
Standing or even lying down.
But walking is very important because it's the meditation that you can bring very much also to your daily life.
If you develop mindfulness by walking while doing a retreat or by doing the walking meditation,
You will see it's easier for yourself to be also mindful when you walk in daily activities.
Every day you walk a lot.
If it's in your house,
Just going to toilet,
To kitchen,
You going anywhere to your car,
To work,
To the bus,
To school,
Wherever.
You walk a lot every day.
And if mindfulness is once developed by walking,
Then you will see it's automatically arising when you walk in your normal daily life.
So it's a really useful thing.
The walking is also very good for your health.
And it's very important to increase your energy when you do retreat,
When you practice meditation.
If you sit only,
You develop more concentration.
And if concentration is not balanced with the energy,
Then it leads to have an unclear mind or more tiredness,
More drowsiness.
So energy and concentration should usually be balanced.
And the walking is the best method to balance the mind in your meditation.
So the first thing that is important when you start the walking,
Make yourself a little path.
If it's anywhere outside,
You try to have a path that is not longer than five or six meters.
And you sweep that place,
Keep it clean,
Tidy.
And when you start the meditation,
Go to the beginning point of that path and stand there.
It's very useful to make a determination then.
Bring your hands up,
Fold them in front of your heart,
And make a determination that now you want to practice walking meditation for one hour or two or three or four hours,
However long you determine to do it.
And then really do that.
Don't stop the walking meditation before this time is over.
And then you hold one hand in front of your belly or in the back,
Whatever feels more comfortable for you.
Hold the wrist of your hand and become aware of yourself standing.
While standing,
Close your eyes and be aware of yourself in this standing posture.
You can note it in your mind as standing,
Standing,
Standing.
When you start to walk,
Open the eyes again.
You shouldn't walk with closed eyes because it's dangerous.
You don't want to have accidents.
So open your eyes and look about two meters in front of you on the floor.
It's not important what you see there.
You just open eyes not to run against any hindrance.
But your mindfulness,
Your attention is with your feet.
We do a six-step system of walking meditation today,
And we start with the first step.
This first step is like that.
You bring your right leg forward,
And while you put your right leg forward,
You note in your mind right.
And you bring the left leg forward,
Note it as left,
Right,
Left.
Don't move the second leg while one is still moving.
If you would walk naturally,
Then you bring the right leg forward,
And the left leg is already lifting,
Like the heel is already lifting while you put down the right leg.
Now you don't do that.
You bring your attention only to one leg,
To one foot.
You bring the right leg forward and place it.
And when it's completely placed,
Then you bring all your attention to the left leg.
And slowly put the left leg forward and place it.
Then you bring the attention to the right leg and bring that forward.
You walk with that first step until the end of your path.
When you reach the end of the path,
Then you know again standing,
Standing,
Standing.
You are aware of yourself in the standing posture.
Then you slowly turn.
And you note it in your mind as turning,
Turning,
Turning.
Then you stand again,
And you note it as standing,
Standing,
Standing.
And then you go on again.
Right,
Left.
The slower you do it,
The more concentration you will develop.
So walk slowly and mindfully.
Your concentration,
Your attention is with the feeling in your feet when you bring your leg forwards.
You are not concentrate on the word,
But you are with your feet.
You know the sensation that arises when you bring your leg forward.
If you see yourself sinking,
You see or you realize,
Oh my mind is drifting away.
It's sinking about past,
Future.
Then stop,
Stand and note the sinking as sinking,
Sinking two,
Three times.
Then let it go and bring the attention back to the next step.
Right,
Left,
Go on.
How does it feel like when your leg moves forward?
Maybe with that sensation,
Know it.
Don't look at your feet.
Your neck should be straight.
Just look about two meters in front of you on the floor.
If you look on your feet,
Then pain will arise.
You will have a stiff neck and eventually headaches.
So keep your neck straight.
Don't be tense,
Be relaxed.
Just know,
Know how it feels like to move your leg forward.
When you arrive again at the end of your path,
You know again.
Now you experience standing,
Standing,
Standing.
Then turn and note in your mind,
Turning,
Turning,
Turning.
Then you know you're standing again,
Standing,
Standing,
Standing.
Then we continue with the second step.
The second step is two steps.
You make out of one step two parts.
The first part is lifting the leg.
Then you make a short break and then you place it.
And you note in your mind lifting,
Placing,
Lifting,
Placing.
If you see you have a problem with the balance while you make this short break,
Then you can do it a bit more quick.
Usually if the balance is not good by walking,
Then it's a sign that concentration is not yet that good.
Never mind,
We try,
We train.
It will get better.
The more slowly you can do it,
You can have a good break in between,
A longer break in between,
Then more concentration will arise.
So know these two steps,
Lifting and placing.
Look at it,
How does it feel like lifting your leg?
How does it feel like to place your leg?
These are two completely different movements.
They feel different.
Look at it,
Try to know how they feel like and what's the difference between lifting and placing.
You don't have to lift the leg too high,
Because then you get pain in your hips.
Just about 10-15 cm above the ground,
That's enough.
Then have a little break and then place it again.
Lifting,
Placing.
Don't have to be tense,
Be relaxed.
Know your body,
Know your walking.
Know the lifting of the leg and you know the placing of your leg.
See when you lift your leg and you see when you place your leg.
While you place it,
Then you see that the lifting from before is gone,
It's over.
This movement is finished,
It's gone,
It's dead,
It doesn't come back anymore.
It was rising,
It stayed for a while and then it ceased.
The same is with the placing.
It comes,
Stays for a while and then it's finished.
And then the next lifting happens.
While you lift,
You know the placing from before,
It's completely gone.
When you place,
You know the lifting from before is gone.
There is change,
It's impermanent.
When you lift again,
It's not the same lifting than the lifting from before.
It's arising new and it's also ceasing.
The same happens with every step you do.
The same happens in all your daily activities,
Whatever you do.
Things come,
They are born,
They stay for a while and then they cease.
If it's movements of your body,
If it's thoughts,
If it's consciousness arising,
Hearing,
Seeing,
Smelling,
Tasting,
Touching,
All these things,
They arise,
Stay for a while and then they cease.
If you look very clear,
You will see there is nothing that stays.
There is absolutely nothing to be found that doesn't change,
It may be the body or the mind,
It's all changing all the time.
This becomes very clear when you do the walking meditation.
If you arrive again at the end of your path,
You know again that there is standing.
Then there is the turning,
You know the turning.
The standing is gone,
Now you turn.
Then this turning is finished and again there is standing.
You know yourself standing and then you start to walk again.
You know you lift your leg and you know you are placing your leg.
Do it slowly,
Do it mindfully.
You are totally aware of the present moment,
Of the movement of your legs in the present moment.
How does it feel like when you lift?
How does it feel like when you place your leg?
Be with that movement.
Everything else is not important now.
If the mind drifts off again and sinks,
You know it,
It's just sinking,
Sinking.
Bring the attention back to the next step,
To the next movement.
If you do that right,
If you do that mindfully,
You feel that the body gets really light,
That your mind feels really light.
Then you are really aware and you are really concentrate.
While walking,
The wind element becomes dominant,
It becomes very clear.
Walking or dancing,
Every kind of movement is dominated by the wind element.
Our body has four elements.
These are earth,
Water,
Fire and wind.
If we do walking meditation then we can see this wind element very clear.
Wind element is responsible for movement.
Every movement that happens,
Happens because of that wind element.
This also becomes very clear when you do walking very mindfully.
You arrive at the end of the path again,
You notice standing,
Standing.
While standing,
The earth element is more dominant.
You can see there is stability,
There is hardness.
This is a characteristic of the earth element.
You know that.
It's different from walking,
It's different from turning.
When you turn again,
The wind element is responsible for this turning.
You feel again there is lightness.
Then you stand again and you note in your mind standing,
Standing,
Standing.
Then we continue with the third step.
The third step is when you lift your leg,
You move it forward and you place it.
It's three steps.
The lifting,
The moving and the placing of the leg.
You lift your leg,
Make a short break,
Move it forward,
Make a short break and then you place it.
Do you note that in your mind as lifting,
Moving,
Placing,
Lifting,
Moving,
Placing.
Be aware of the sensation in your feet when you lift,
When you move and when you place your leg.
Be with these three steps.
See and feel how the sensation is feeling like.
Be aware of that.
Try to see the difference between lifting,
Moving and placing.
There are three completely different movements.
They have different characteristics.
You know that.
Be completely aware in the present.
Be with the walking.
If you arrive at the end of the path,
You know again you're standing.
Note you're standing.
The walking from before is gone.
It has ceased.
It's not there anymore.
Now there is only standing.
Then you turn your body and you know the turning.
You stand again,
You know you're standing.
And then you start again to walk.
Lift your leg,
Move it forward and place it.
Walk with the three steps.
Down your walking path again.
And be with each of these movements.
Know their characteristics.
Know how they feel like.
Be relaxed and completely aware of that movement.
If the mind drifts,
Bring it back to the next step.
If your mind stucks in some thoughts and they come again and again,
Then stop.
Know you're standing and really note this sinking.
Note it with a sharp mind.
Sinking,
Sinking.
It's like you're cutting off these thoughts.
And then start again with the walking.
Sometimes thoughts come and they are just like a little chatter anywhere in the back of your head.
They are not very clear thoughts.
And you still know your leg is lifting,
Moving,
Placing.
Then you don't have to stop.
You just know there's some chattering and you return to the next step.
Only if you see there are some persistent thoughts,
They come and come again,
Then it's better to really stop the walking and stand and really cut them off before you continue to walk.
There's also one reason why our walking path should not be longer than five or six meters,
Because if we would walk too long,
Then our mind gets lost easy.
It's drifting easy.
And if the walking path is short,
Then whenever you have to standing again on the end of the path,
In that moment you're 100% mindful with the standing.
So it's better not to make too many steps.
Keep it a short path,
Five to six meters.
That's enough.
When you arrive on the end of the path again,
You know standing.
And you know the turning.
And you know the standing again.
And then we continue with the fourth step.
The fourth step is like follow.
You lift your heel,
Then you lift your foot,
Move it forward and place your foot.
And you note it in your mind as lifting the heel,
Lifting the foot,
Moving forward,
Placing the foot.
And bring the attention to the next leg and start again lifting the heel.
Make a little break.
Lifting the foot,
Make a little break.
Moving forward,
Break and placing the foot.
Be aware of each of these four steps.
How do they feel like?
How does it feel like to lift the heel?
How does it feel like to lift the foot?
How does it feel like to move forward?
And how does it feel like to place your foot?
Be attentive and just notice four movements.
The fourth step is usually the most balanced step.
If you go in a long retreat,
Then usually the teachers recommend to use mostly this fourth step.
The step itself is already more natural and it's very suitable to do it for many hours,
For a long time,
For many days.
Whereas the first step is the one that gives you the most energy.
It's very suitable to be practiced when you feel tired,
Like when you start meditation in the early morning.
It's very good to do the first step.
Or when you,
After you finished your meal and you need a lot of energy with your digestion,
Then also the first step is very good,
Is very suitable to increase your energy.
The fourth step can be practiced under all circumstances.
And the further steps,
The fifth and sixth,
They are then to increase concentration.
Now you try to be with these four steps of the fourth step.
The lifting of the heel,
The lifting of the foot,
The moving forward and the placing of your foot.
If you arrive on the end of the path,
You know again you're standing,
You know you're turning.
Do it slowly,
Unmindfully.
Do it with a joyful heart.
The walking is a very good and very important practice.
Don't do it in a way,
I have to finish that too,
To start the sitting.
Walking is equally important to the sitting.
Be completely aware in the present with the present step.
Then wisdom arises.
Continue walking the fourth step.
When you arrive again on the end of your walking path,
You know it again,
Just standing.
Standing,
Standing.
You know the turning,
Turning,
Turning.
You know the standing,
Standing,
Standing.
Then continue with the fifth step.
The fifth step,
You lift your heel,
Then you lift your leg,
You move it forward,
Then you touch the ground only with your toes,
And then you place your foot.
And you note it in your mind as lifting the heel,
Lifting the foot,
Moving forward,
Touching the ground,
Placing the foot.
And bring the attention to the other leg and continue.
Lifting the heel,
Lifting the foot,
Moving forward,
Touching the ground,
Placing the foot.
Go on with this fifth step now.
If you do that very slowly with little breaks in between each step,
You see that you get a real good concentration.
The last two steps,
The fifth and the sixth,
They are really there to increase the concentration.
You also see if you do a high step like the fifth,
It's more difficult to think because you always have to be back with the next step.
So at least if the mind drifts away,
You are much more quick back to the next step.
So walking is really important.
It has many benefits,
Benefits for your energy,
Benefits for your mindfulness,
And it's benefiting your concentration and also the bodily health.
If you just sit,
It's not so comfortable for the body.
You have to change posture from time to time,
Otherwise the body becomes unbearable.
Be aware of each part of that fifth step.
How does it feel like lifting the heel?
How does it feel like lifting the foot?
How does it feel like moving forward?
How does it feel like to touch the ground with your toes?
And how does it feel like to place the foot?
Know each of these movements.
Know they arise,
Know that they stay for a while and know that they cease again.
Each of these movements come and go.
On the end of the path,
You know again standing and turning and standing.
Be aware of all these things that happen while you do your walking meditation.
Only if you're really aware in the present,
You can see each of these movements.
If you're not aware,
If the mind is drifting,
Then you can't see it.
So try to be in the present with the movement of your feet.
Then walk the path back again in this fifth step.
The more slowly you do it,
The more concentration.
If you feel your mind gets heavy or the body feels tense and heavy or you're tired,
Then do the movement a bit shorter and quicker.
That gives again more energy.
You have to check your mind all the time when you meditate.
If you sit,
If you walk,
If you stand,
If you lie down,
You always have to check how does the mind feel like.
Is it peaceful?
Is it calm?
Is there concentration?
Is there energy?
Is there tiredness?
Is there lack of energy?
Mindfulness has to know that.
That is wisdom,
If you really see that.
And then you have to balance the mind.
We all,
We are meditators and we have to learn how to balance our own mind.
You cannot give instruction to someone as a teacher how you should do your meditation in the present moment.
You cannot tell anyone you have to walk like that all the time,
Sit like that all the time.
Because our mind changes.
It changes all day long.
Every session it changes.
So only the meditator can know by himself or by herself how the mind is now.
And then has to apply wisdom and balance it.
Energy and concentration have to be balanced.
They have to run equal.
They have to run even.
Then progress will be made.
If one of them is out of balance,
Is stronger or weaker,
Then the mind is out of balance.
And the meditation is not running smooth.
So you always have to check.
If there is a lack of energy,
Go down to a lower step.
If there is a lack of concentration,
Then go to a higher step of walking meditation.
If you arrive at the end of the path again,
Know you are standing.
Be aware of yourself in the standing posture and note it,
Name it.
Then be aware of the turning.
And again be aware of yourself in the standing posture.
And then we continue with the sixth step.
You lift your heel,
Lift your foot,
Move it forward,
Touch the ground,
Place the foot,
And then shift your whole weight to that leg.
And you name it as pressing.
Then bring the attention to the next leg,
To the other leg.
And start again lifting the heel,
Lifting the foot,
Moving forward,
Touching the ground with your toes,
Placing the foot,
And shifting the weight,
Pressing.
Lifting the heel,
Lifting the foot,
Moving forward,
Touching the ground,
Placing the foot,
Pressing.
Continue with that sixth step and be aware of each of these six steps.
Be aware how they feel like.
Be aware of the sensation in your feet.
You can see how concentration is getting better by doing that step.
But don't let your body get stiff or tense.
Concentration doesn't mean tension.
You're aware of each of these steps.
You make a little break between each of these steps.
But that doesn't mean that you have to become tense.
Be relaxed.
Then concentration arises easily.
The body feels light,
The mind feels light.
Then you're really aware.
You really concentrate in the present.
And you will enjoy your walking meditation.
This fifth and sixth step are usually practiced if you want to push your concentration more.
If you see you practice already all day long,
And it's possible to increase the concentration,
To push it a little bit,
Then you can walk that sixth step or the fifth step,
Maybe even for a whole hour.
It's very suitable to do that.
But only if you really see the mind is balanced.
If you have enough energy,
Then you could push this concentration a bit more.
If the energy is lacking,
Then go down to the lower steps until there is balance again,
Until you've regained balance in your meditation.
So the meditator really has to use his own wisdom to balance the mind all the time.
If you arrive on the end of your path again,
You know the standing.
Be aware of the standing.
It's changing.
It's not one thing.
Every time you stand,
You can feel different sensations.
Sometimes standing might feel very heavy.
Sometimes it feels very light.
Know that.
Only if you are always in the present moment,
You can see that.
If you are not in the present,
You won't see it.
Then you know the turning and again the standing.
Then continue walking the path down again in that sixth step.
Watching each of these movements.
Feeling each of these movements.
Feeling the sensation in your feet while moving.
See their arising and see how they cease.
Then you are a really mindful meditator.
If you have little time at home,
You can't do that walking.
You can do that walking for one hour,
But you have only maybe 20 minutes.
You don't have to go through all of these steps.
Then I would recommend going immediately to the fourth.
As I mentioned before,
The fourth step is the most balanced one.
You can do it for a long time.
Do then the fourth step.
If you have plenty of time at home or if you even do a retreat in the temple,
Then you can use all six steps.
Up to how your mind feels like.
If you need more energy or more concentration,
You can balance this by yourself.
But if you practice the fifth and the sixth only a whole day long,
Many hours a day,
It's usually not so suitable because it gives too much concentration or a lot of heaviness can arise.
Your body feels heavy and you feel that the mind is not clear anymore or you get even tired.
So usually we don't do it more than maybe one hour.
But again,
Everyone is different,
So you have to find out by yourself how your mind feels like.
If you're on the end of your path again,
You know again you're standing.
You know that hour you determined to practice the walking meditation is over now.
And before you come out of concentration,
Be aware again of your mind.
How does it feel like?
Are you concentrated?
If you concentrate,
Then your body and mind feel light.
There are not much thoughts in your mind.
You know that.
Then you lift your hands,
Fold them in front of your heart,
And you share the good that you did now with this meditation,
With having the patience to practice it with all beings.
You start with those that are important in your life,
Like your parents,
Your teachers,
Those you love,
Friends,
Family.
Then you share it to neutral beings.
It would be the biggest part,
Beings you don't know or you have no special relationship with.
And you share it also with those that you don't like.
And in the end you repeat in your mind,
May all beings be happy,
May all beings be peaceful,
May all beings be free from suffering.
You can also make wishes for yourself,
Wishes for progress in your meditation,
Whatever you want to determine in your mind.
You can do that now with a concentrated mind after your meditation.
When you finish,
You come out of concentration.
