Walking Meditation

Walking meditation is a contemplative meditation technique that you practice while walking instead of sitting. After sitting meditation, this is the next most popular technique based on the form of movement. It is a simple yet very effective way of doing meditation.

Focus Of The Walking Meditation

The main focus on this particular method is using the motion of walking when meditating. There are also standing and lying down meditations, which are practiced less.

Most exercises on this site are based on sitting meditation, however meditating while walking has its place here as well, since it is very beneficial to all of us.

When I meditate, I usually alternate between sitting and walking meditation so that I get the most benefits of my regular daily practice.

Most people associate meditation with sitting in a quiet place in motionless posture. Nowadays, however, more and more people are discovering the benefits of walking while meditating and are integrating it in their regular meditative program.

When walking, you become aware, mindful of what you experience during your walks, be it on the beach, in your own backyard, in the park or indoors, in one of your rooms.

Differences Between Walking Meditation And Sitting Meditation

There are several differences between the two types, besides the obvious distinction that one is done motionless and the other is performed while in motion.

• While meditating during walking we keep our eyes open. Most of the sitting meditations are done with the eyes fully closed or almost closed.
• In the sitting meditations, we usually withdraw from the world around us, focusing on something within us, such as our breathing, or getting our mind to be quiet when we practice mindfulness meditation. In walking meditations we are much more aware of the outside world.
  As a matter of fact by practicing meditation while walking we are learning to be more aware of everything that surrounds us. We train our mind to become sharper and more attentive while being in the now.
• Also during walking meditations we are making ourselves aware of our body due to it moving constantly. When you have your legs or arms moving, you can be more aware of them than when you are trying to keep your body still along with your mind.

Benefits Of Walking Meditation

 

We are living a rather sedentary lifestyle which makes us become easily tired when walking or running.

We are taking the lift or elevator to go home or out from the building instead of taking the stairs...

We are taking our car or a cab to go downtown shopping...

Even a walk around becomes a drive around these days...

Walking meditation is attempting to change all that gradually. It is trying to make you healthier without tiring you out. It is making you more fit and resistant to illnesses and to daily stress.

Here are some of the direct benefits that meditation through walking can give you when practiced regularly.

• It helps with doing regular tasks with less effort. By alternating walking and sitting meditation, you are helping not only your mind but also your body to release tension and become calmer and less stressed.
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• You will be able to walk longer without getting tired. Walking should be fun, however many of us have lost the joy at it due to our hectic, stressful modern lifestyle.
  By doing a 10 minutes walk with your awareness focused on your steps, your body motion and the world around you, you will be able to reconnect with that inherent joy and fun that you should be experiencing when you are outdoors.
  
  
• It helps with food digestion. Doing regular exercises helps with bowel movement and digestion, however not everyone is inclined to practice in a fitness studio.
  But everybody is capable of walking aroung the house, garden or a near park, downtown - or even the beach without any extra effort. This is less strenuous than working out for people of any age, from children to the senior citizen, yet it yields great benefits for the stomach, digestion and health overall.
  
  
• It makes you fit without really trying. Sure, it will take longer than when you lift weights or do aerobics, however by walking on a regular basis a few minutes every day, you will build up your fitness level and you will tone your body along with it as well.
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• And one of my favorite benefits - it will help you learn to meditate while you are going about your regular life, while you are busy doing your daily activities.
  You will be able to meditate at any time, anywhere without having to set a time and place aside for it. You can meditate while walking to and from work, while doing your grocery shopping, while enjoying the beach or while simply window shopping.
  
  
• Meditation means becoming more aware of our inner world and the world around us, so you WIll become more aware.
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• You will feel more alive, with a sense of greater joy for life in general and the people around you.

Suggested Reading

Walking Meditation w/DVD & CD-ROM by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Long Road Turns to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanhand Robert Aitken