Walking Meditation

Slow Down

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercise. In a culture built around convenience, we are walking less and less. The physical benefits of walking is a topic for another day. I would like to draw your attention to another way to use walking as a tool for your well-being - meditation.

Like most tasks undertaken in our society, walking is almost always done with a goal in mind. Even if you are just going for a hike, most of us are trying to get from point A to point B - summit that mountain, find the swimming hole, get some exercise, etc. As Jon Kabat-Zinn points out, "In walking meditation, you are not walking to get anyplace...The practice is to take each step as it comes and to be fully present with it. This means feeling the very sensations of walking - in your feet, in your legs, in your carriage and gait, as always, moment by moment." As with any object of meditation, you are attempting to do something just for the sake of doing it. Whereas you may normally focus on your breath, now the focus becomes the sensation of the earth underneath your feet. 

I love to practice walking meditation on a natural surface, where the ground below me is ever-changing as I walk over leaves, twigs, moss, and soil. Each step is a small meditation in itself, just as a breath cycle of inhale and exhale would serve as a point of focus. Focus on one foot at a time. Get curious about this miraculous feat of ambulation. Feel the weight shift out of your right foot as your left heel strikes the ground and the weight moves from the heel up to the forefoot. Your left heel peels off the ground. Notice how for a brief moment you are balanced on a single foot. Start off very slowly so that you can feel each moment that comprises a single step.

After you get the hang of it, you may choose to combine the sensation in your feet with your breath, or shift some of your focus onto the sounds of the woods around you. This is where things start to get very interesting. You can start to notice the most subtle sensation of air passing over your hands as your arms swing in conjunction with the rest of your body. Feel gratitude for the fact that you are able to walk. Stop often and take in the world around you. As always, when you notice you are distracted, simply return to the sensation of your feet upon the ground. 

For some extra guidance, check out the short video below for an introduction to walking meditation. This was at one of my favorite trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where I usually do not encounter any other people. If you can find a spot like this where you feel safe, it is a great place to practice.