Walking The Spirit

"Movement in the body brings movement in the mind. It is a natural alchemy. So many us seek this kind of movement in our lives, a fusion of being and doing. We long to restore wholeness within ourselves and to connect with one another and with the spiritual values that sustain and guide us." - Wendy Bumgardner

Upon researching ideas for a walking project I became interested in Meditative Walking. Meditative walking is about mindful experience of walking while trying to keep our awareness involved with the experience of walking. There can be many forms of this.

How does this differ from seated meditation?

An obvious difference is that our eyes are open while we are walking. We are not withdrawing our attention from the outside world to the same extent that we do when we are doing the Mindfulness of Breathing or Metta Bhavana (development of lovingkindness) practices. We have to be aware of things external from ourselves (objects we might trip over, other people that we might walk into) We become more intouch with nature, feeling the wind in our hair, sun on our skin etc.. For a lot of people, myself included it is an easier form of mediation. I feel it hard to concentrate, my mind wonders, I start complaining about the little aches in my back and knees from sitting up straight and am too distracted from the task at hand. When your body is in motion, it is generally easier to be aware of it compared to when you are sitting still. For those with a restless mind, walking mediation can be used every day during routine tasks from walking to campus or going for a walk to the grocery store. (One benefit of not being able to drive is I have lots of time to practice this!)

Getting Started

You can start by practicing in your home if you’re a bit nervous about trying outside. There is obviously a lot more distractions with people, traffic etc...


1. Relax your body and walk slowly with your spine upright. Relax your arms and hands.
2. Pay attention to the feeling of your feet touching the floor. The sensations in the feet are your meditation object. The feet carry the weight of your entire body which puts a lot of pressure on them. What does that feel like? Give relaxed attention to any sensation in the feet. Focus on one foot at a time.
3. When you reach the end of the room, stand still for awhile and feel the sensations in both feet, including the pressure against the floor and possible tingling. This is a good moment of standing meditation.
4. Turn around and walk slowly while giving relaxed attention to the sensations in your feet. Only focus on one foot at the time. The souls of the feet are sensitive not unlike the palms


Tips
• Don’t try too hard, just relax. Look straight ahead, not at your legs or feet. Relax and feel the body movements.
• If you are having trouble connecting to the ground, just go barefoot




Credits and Helpful Links

http://www.spiritedwalker.com/
http://www.controlstress.net/stress/reduce-stress-with-walking-meditation/