Walking is good for the body and mind, but it can also work spiritually as meditation. Read here how walking meditation works and find some tips for your own spiritual stroll.
What is Walking Meditation?
Mindfulness is a broad concept that everyone interprets differently. Mental relaxation is also different for everyone, but always important. Did you know that you can walk yourself into a meditative state? Everyone knows how relaxing a walk can be. You walk in the great outdoors with all its splendor and hear the sounds of nature around you. There’s not many things that are more relaxing! You can also combine your walk with meditation to feel fully refreshed.
Walking meditation mindfulness is mainly about awareness while walking, and is perfect if you are looking for a way to relax physically and mentally. Meditation while walking differs from a regular walk because you focus on small details in your body. You are more aware of how you walk, of your spine, your breathing, your shoulders, your neck, and of course of the nature around you. You can think of meditation walking as conscious walking; walk like you’ve never walked before.
Walking Meditation Explanation
As you’ve read, meditation walking is walking with full attention and open scenes. When you walk consciously, according to walking meditation guru Thich Nhat Hanh, you can “create a fresh wave of peace with every step”. According to him, you can also link a word to each step as a kind of mantra, for example: walk-over-earth or: what-lucky-I-am. Or use your own imagination, do what works for you. At some point you will notice that you feel connected to your body and to everything around you. It’s all about this repetition and awareness of your steps, not about reaching a particular goal. Your destination is spiritual, not a location.
Walking Meditation Exercises
Walking guru Thich Nhat Hanh doesn’t worry about where you are: according to him every path is suitable for walking meditation. You can do walking meditation exercises in the city, in nature, in a meadow, a residential area, on the way to the train, in the parking lot, you name it. Step out the door and get started! It is important that you give yourself that extra time to walk peacefully instead of rushing.
Thich encourages you to activate your senses while walking. Open your ears and hear the sounds around you. See the sun, the leaves, and the trees. Do you feel cold or warm? And what do you smell? Stop for a moment and take it all in. If you walk in this way for a few days, something will slowly change inside. You will feel grateful and you will experience inner peace with each step.
Breathing Exercises While Walking
Another exercise of Thich is a breathing exercise. Take three steps per inhale and three steps per exhale and say “in, in, in, out, out, out.” Or inhale on 1, 2, 3 and exhale on 3, 2, 1. Try to relax with each step instead of focusing on a goal or destination. Did you get distracted? Then just start counting your steps or breath again. It’s just that easy.
Rolling Feet Exercise
During the walk, focus on your feet and legs. Notice that your heel touches the ground, then rolls through the ball of your foot, the base of your foot, and then finally your toes. Feel how your feet touch the ground and then consciously lift your feet up again with each step. During this exercise you can say to yourself: “heel-ball-toe-lift”. This is a good exercise to be aware of the movement of your foot in the moment.
Tips for Walking Meditation
Walking meditation is for everyone. And because we wish everyone a mindful mind and body, here are some tips with you for a mindful walk.
Go Alone
We are so used to doing other things when we walk around the block. Think of listening to music, calling a friend, walking your dog, listening to a podcast, or chatting with your running buddy. That is of course great fun, but not the intention of a walking meditation. So go out alone and without distraction, so that you have full attention for yourself and for the meditation.
Take Your Time
You can walk as long as you want, but make sure your walk is a little longer than your meditation session. This way you can use the first ten minutes to get into the ‘walking state’, and the last part to enjoy nature and your zen state of mind. You can rush inner peace!
Put on Comfortable Clothes
Make sure you wear nice yoga clothes or other sportswear that you can move easily in. Well-fitting shoes are also important, so that you do not get sore feet. You want to focus on your surroundings and yourself, not your clothes or discomfort.
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Keep Your Eyes Open
It is important that you keep your eyes up during your walking meditation. Not only so that you are aware of your surroundings, but also because you don’t want to trip. So keep your head up!
Walk Calmly
Take it easy on your walk, it’s not a relay race! It’s about awareness of your steps, not how fast you are. It’s okay if you’re restless or distracted all the time. Then slow down a bit until you can stay in the moment with each step.
Watch Your Breathing
Try to breathe naturally and count your steps with each inhale and exhale. As with meditation, it is better to breathe only through the nose. Breathing through your nose stimulates your abdominal breathing. When you breathe through your mouth, you tend to breathe much higher. If you breathe through your nose, you will find that your breath comes from much lower. In addition, nasal breathing stimulates the Vagus nerve. This nerve helps relax your nervous system, body, and mind. So this is a very important point!
More Meditation
Is walking meditation not really for you? You can also do a Mantra Meditation or another seated meditation like Visualization. Be guided during your meditation session by spiritual music or use a Singing Bowl. For some extra comfort while meditating, you can use a meditation cushion or meditation bench.
Check Out Our Assortment of Meditation Aids
How do you enjoy relaxation in nature?
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