Walking MeditationIn my opinion,
walking meditation is heavily neglected in many meditation circles. Most of us think of meditation as something we do while the body is still, but that doesn’t have to be the case. We are in movement much of the day in general, so dedicating some time to being mindful of the body while walking is applicable to our daily lives. We also get a different experience of the body moving than we might find with the still body.
To do walking meditation, I recommend finding a place where you can walk maybe 10-20 feet. Personally, I prefer somewhere that allows me to be barefoot, but that’s not always possible. You may begin by standing still and just feeling the body where it is. You may notice some slight movement or swaying, the feeling of the feet on the ground, and the movement of the body with the breath.
As you pick up your foot slowly and begin walking, notice what sensations are present. You can feel the feeling of the sole of the foot lifting off the ground, the the muscles in the leg working, the shift of weight in the body, and the sensation of the foot touching down to the ground with the step.
Continue to walk at the pace that feels right. I find that as my mindfulness begins to slip, I sometimes start walking more quickly. When you reach the end of your path you’ve set, very slowly and mindfully turn around and walk back. You can repeat this as long as you’d like, and investigate how it feels in the body to walk at different speeds.
Mindfulness Of The BreathThere are quite a few different ways to work with mindfulness of the breath. I’ll offer one here, a more foundational practice that I’ve found useful in working with newcomers to practice. For this practice, I recommend sitting. However, if you’re not able to sit comfortably or it doesn’t feel right to you, you can absolutely do this practice lying down or even walking.
As you may have guessed by now, you can take a moment to settle in before beginning the practice. When you feel settled enough, bring your attention to one point in the body you can feel the sensations of breathing. This may be the chest, noticing the expansion and contraction with each breath. It also might be the belly, again noticing the rising and falling. I often focus on the tip of the nose, where I can feel the subtle sensation of the air entering and leaving my nostrils.
With each breath, count silently in your head. So you may inhale, tuning into the experience of the breath. As you exhale, count “1.” Continue this way, counting up to ten. When you reach ten, count back down to 1, and so forth. Remember to focus on the direct sensation of breathing in the body. The counting simply serves as a tool to help us keep on track.