Walking as Meditation

It is common knowledge that walking is great for you. It’s good for your heart, good for your waistline, and it is good for your circulation

But what you may not have thought about is this: combining your walking time with meditation to enhance the value of your walking. Most people take up walking because it’s an excellent form of exercise, it minimizes injuries and there is no learning curve; everyone knows how to walk.

No expensive equipment necessary (great for your pocketbook). You just start walking and you are instantly on the road to better health. If you combine this with meditation, or mindful walking, you will find your gains to be priceless.

So what is walking meditation, or mindful walking? It is when you deliberately focus on your every step. You don’t have to increase your speed, in fact, you might begin by walking slower so you can get the hang of mindful walking.

When you focus on your walking, focus on how it feels as you raise your foot then place it back down, one step at a time. The practice of mindful walking has its roots in Buddhism, in particular the art of Ayatana. Christianity also has its version of walking meditation: walking the labyrinth.

Utilizing mindful walking helps you focus on the present. As you become more skilled at concentrating your focus on your footsteps and not on the troubles of your day, you will find your stress melting away.

The most familiar forms of meditation have you sitting with eyes shut, concentrating on mental clarity. With mindful walking, your eyes are wide open, taking in the outside world. This gives the walker the opportunity to get outside of the head and all its chatter; a very valuable experience, especially for westerners.

Here are some general instructions for walking meditation:

• It is best to conduct your walking meditation in an area that you are comfortable with.

• Your goal is to walk for a 20 minute time period (or more if you wish). In the beginning, if that is too long for you, then you may want to begin with a 5 minute period and gradually work your way up to a 20 minute time period.

• Start your walking in a relaxed but not a slouched posture.

• Concentrate on how your feet feel.

• Let your arms hang down in a relaxed manner.

• Gently focus about three to six feet in front of you as you walk.

In conclusion, walking meditation is a practice that is easy to add into your daily exercise. Along with taking care of your body’s well-being, you will also be enhancing the well-being of your mind and spirit.

Just start walking.