Meditation can take many forms and focuses. One of my meditations looks like a walk through my neighborhood (I aim to get 7500 steps/day), or in other words, a walking meditation. When I was first formally taught “walking meditation” while on retreat at The Omega Institute, my immediate thought was, “This is marching band.” The process I was being guided through was similar to how I taught many kids about marching, the body’s center of gravity, and bringing awareness to the distance and speed of the step (gate).
You too can practice walking meditation anywhere simply by bringing your awareness to your body as you are walking; Notice the foot touch the ground with the leading leg. Notice the shift of weight from one foot to the other. Notice when the back foot lifts of the ground. Explore how slow you can walk and notice each joint and muscle adjust throughout your stride. My brain works with mathematics, patterns, and counting things so I often start this entire process by just bringing my awareness to my breath, breathing in for a count of 4 steps and out for a count of 6-8 steps. Having your out-breath be longer than your in-breath allows your vagus or soul nerve and sympathetic nervous system (responsible for fight-flight-freeze) to settle, calming and grounding your being.
I notice that my pace starts to slow down as I luxuriate into each breath and feel each step. I may even breathe in for a count of 4 and out for a count of 8. As mentioned, more traditional walking meditation is dropping into the body sensations as you walk. Once my mind and body as grounding into the experience of my walk, noticing my breath and the sensations of the body walking, I have a few variations that I like to employ, cycling through the senses, picking one sense to stay with during my walk; Noticing what I’m smelling as I pass each new house or business. Noticing what I am seeing, picking a focus; blue things, or red things, cats in windows, fake plants, Black Lives Matter signs, rainbows. Change it up. Have fun.
My favorite is a “Walk of Appreciation”. It’s a great way to raise your vibration, recharge, and empower yourself, generating energy by honing in on what is already present in our lives that satiate our senses. I appreciate whatever I notice that feels good; trees, doors, window displays (cats, dogs, plants, nick-knacks), plants and planters, home decor, kids playing, cars (also having an eye out for Subaru Crosstreks), well-maintained sidewalks, clouds in the sky. The possibilities are endless.
Next time you’re out for a walk, try a walking meditation and notice how you’re feeling by the time you reach your destination. See if you’re just a little more grounded, open, and ready to greet whatever meets you in that moment.
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