Walking Meditation
Pairing the mental focus of meditation with the physical action of walking to bring a new sort of presence to an everyday activity.
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You may be familiar with the common perception of meditation: sitting legs-crossed on a pillow, eyes closed, silently or while humming. Though this is one (of many!) ways of experiencing a meditation practice, some may find more active approaches beneficial.
Walking meditation—a way of focusing on your surroundings, sensations, and experiences—can be utilized to slow down while still being in motion. It builds an increased awareness of your natural surroundings while enhancing appreciation for what your body can do.
In a study on the impact of mindful walking, participants were shown to benefit from improved mood, better quality of sleep, cultivated an enhanced sense of mindfulness, and contributed to sticking to healthy habits.
Establishing a Meditative Walking Practice
Choose a path: Some practitioners recommend finding a short, repetitive path; others utilize these practices on busy city streets during their commute. You can make this practice work for you no matter time and space constraints by starting wherever you are and dedicating time to the practice.
Start with standing: Before moving, notice your surroundings, including visuals, sounds, and smells. Then shift to how you feel in the moment—are there any physical sensations? Is your mind calm or active? How are you breathing? What do your feet feel like on the ground?
Moving awareness: Begin walking and tune into your movements: how your foot lifts off the ground, how your leg carries it forward, what parts of your feet are first and last to hit the ground in front of you, how your body weight shifts, and how your arm and hands move. If you use a walking aid or wheelchair, notice your grip, hand placement, and forward motion.
Coming back to focus: Pay attention to what you take in from each of your five senses while you move. Your mind may naturally wander, but coming back to some part of your sensory experience can help to refocus.
Repeat: Practicing this multiple times a week for at least 15 minutes at a time can help cement this body-mind habit.
Additional Resources
You may find it helpful to listen to a guided meditation as you ramble—here's one with Dan Harris and another from mindful.org
If music feels grounding, here are some ambient tracks from Insight Timer
Sources
https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/walking_meditation
https://www.wildmind.org/walking
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9365743/#bib0031
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