Hi and welcome back.
Today we're going to practice a gentle,
Mindful,
Slow and relaxed walking meditation.
A walking meditation is a really nice way to bring mindfulness,
Awareness and even patience to something that we do every day.
Walking.
You may not notice the steps you take,
The way you breathe,
The way you move when you're in a hurry to get somewhere.
But taking 10 or 15 minutes to mindfully practice a walking meditation can give you a renewed sense of appreciation for something so simple.
So to begin,
Go ahead and find somewhere that you'd like to practice.
This is best practice when you don't have a destination in mind,
So I don't recommend choosing a walking path somewhere in public or doing this on the way to the grocery store or to the way to the park just to begin.
But rather try to find somewhere quiet where you're able to walk back and forth for about 10 to 15 paces in a place that's relatively peaceful and you won't be disturbed or maybe even won't be observed if that's important for you.
You can practice this walking meditation either in a cozy spot indoors or even outside in nature,
Whichever you prefer.
And whatever lane that you'll be walking,
It doesn't need to be very long because the goal is not to reach anywhere specific,
But rather to practice a very intentional form of walking where you're mostly just retracing your steps back and forth.
So after you've found the place that you want to practice your walking,
Go ahead and start.
So from your starting point or wherever you're at,
Go ahead and walk 10 to 15 steps along the way that you've chosen for now.
And at the end of the lane,
Pause and breathe for as long as you like.
Whenever you feel ready,
Turn and walk back down in the opposite direction to the other end of the path back to where you started.
And once you've arrived here,
You can pause and breathe again for as long as you like.
And throughout the rest of this meditation,
As I continue giving more cues,
This is the basic path that will follow.
So whenever you feel ready,
Start walking your 10 to 15 steps.
Pause,
Breathe.
And whenever you feel ready,
Turn and walk back.
And pause and breathe.
Try to maintain your own steady rhythm of walking throughout this entire practice.
Remember also to breathe naturally while you walk and not just to wait when you get to the end of your path.
You can walk at any speed that you choose,
But a walking meditation following a classic mindfulness-based stress reduction technique will be slow and involves taking small steps.
But what's most important is that your walking feels natural and not exaggerated or overly stylized.
You want to focus on your own natural rhythm of walking and bringing awareness to your walking meditation in this way.
We'll continue walking and pausing.
Breathing in and out in a natural way.
You can keep your eyes open while you walk and while you pause.
Or maybe close your eyes when you pause and breathe.
Or if you're certain there's no obstacles in your way,
Maybe even close your eyes while you walk as well.
You can clasp your hands behind your back or in front of you if you like.
Or simply let them hang at your side,
Swinging naturally as you walk.
Whatever feels most comfortable and natural for you today.
While you continue to walk,
We'll start breaking down the components of each step that you take.
So in a walking meditation,
This involves very intentional thinking about and doing a series of actions that you normally do automatically every day.
Breaking these steps down in your mind might first feel awkward or even ridiculous,
But practicing mindfully will help you bring more awareness to each step that you take.
So to begin,
We'll start to notice the basic components of each step that you take.
One foot is lifting up.
This foot moves a bit forward from where you're currently standing.
The heel of this foot is placed on the floor,
Followed by the rest of the foot.
And then your weight shifts onto the forward leg as you begin to lift the back heel while the toes of that foot even remain touching the floor or the ground.
Your back foot lifts completely off the ground.
The back foot swings forward,
Lowers down.
Making contact with the ground,
Heel first.
The weight shifts onto this foot as your body moves forward,
Lifting the heel of your back foot.
Try to notice each of these points in your steps.
Lifting,
Moving the foot,
Placing the foot down,
And shifting the weight forward.
Observe your steps in this way as your back foot lifts from the ground,
Swings forward,
And lowers to the ground,
Heel first.
And then your weight shifting onto that foot as the body moves forward.
Notice when you arrive at the end of your path,
Bringing weight into both feet equally,
The end of your steps.
And when you choose to step forward,
Walking back down the path,
Noticing the initiation of that first step.
And how that feels different from the following steps while you're already in movement.
And notice how that last step feels,
Bringing both feet back together,
Taking a pause to breathe in and out naturally.
As you continue to walk and pause,
Try to focus your attention on any one of your sensations that perhaps normally you might take for granted.
Such as your breath coming in and out of your body while you pause and also while you walk.
Notice the movement of your feet and your legs.
Notice the contact of your feet with the ground or the floor that you're walking or standing upon.
Notice your head balanced on your neck and shoulders.
Notice any sounds nearby or any sounds caused by the movement of your body as you walk and breathe.
And if your eyes are open,
Notice whatever your eyes may take in as they focus on the world in front of you and around you.
Continue walking and pausing,
Breathing naturally.
Continuing to notice different sensations in your body,
But also keep in mind that your mind may still inevitably wander even when trying to fix your attention.
That's okay.
It's perfectly natural.
Whenever you notice your mind wandering,
Try to refocus it again to one of your sensations of breathing,
Of moving,
Of balancing what you hear or what you see.
Continue bringing awareness to your steps and breathing in this way,
Practicing your walking meditation for as long as you like.
If you feel the need to lengthen or shorten the path that you are walking along or the time of your breathing pauses,
Feel free to adjust as needed in any way that suits you right now.
Whenever you feel ready,
Finish the length that you're walking now.
Bring both of your feet together.
Take one final pause here,
Breathing in and out in a natural way.
Keep in mind that you can also bring mindfulness to walking at any speed in your everyday life and even to running.
In fact,
Over time,
You can try to bring the same degree of awareness to any everyday activity,
Experiencing the sense of presence that is available to us at every moment as our lives unfold.
And whenever you feel ready,
You can close your walking meditation practice for today and enjoy the rest of your day.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Namaste.
Namaste.
