Anyone can do walking meditation. Most of us have walked without even thinking about it for most of our lives. The key is to think differently about the purpose of your walk.
If you struggle with sitting meditation, you’ll find walking meditation is manageable to do. You might find that it is easier to experience the benefits right away.
When you walk mindfully, you pay attention to each micro-movement as you walk. With the version of walking meditation described in this post, you don’t end up walking more than about 10 steps, and you’ll take about 10 minutes for your walk.
How is Walking Meditation Different than Regular Walking?
You’ll notice that walking meditation is different from regular walking because the goal is not to get somewhere. Usually, when you walk to get someplace, you’re thinking of other things, talking with someone, or you’re even looking at your phone.
Let’s face it, most of the time we speed through our day unaware of our surroundings. As a consequence, it can be difficult to remember most of our day.
Personally, the more I sped through my day, I felt like I couldn’t relax. I had a nagging sense that there was something I hadn’t accomplished during the day — but I didn’t know what it was!
First, Decide on The Location
To get started, decide whether you are going to do your walking meditation inside the house, or outside.
I personally prefer to walk barefoot on grass or in the sand. Since I live in the high desert, we have plenty of sand! Make sure that wherever you walk is free of obstacles or things that would be painful if you stepped on them.
A Few Quick Tips Once You’ve Chosen Your Location
- Clear your space of obstacles
- Make sure you’ll be unobserved (unless you’re practicing walking meditation with a group)
- Choose a time of day that is free from loud noises and harsh temperatures
- Wear comfortable, loose clothing
- Walk barefoot!
First, Map Out Your Space
To get started, do a few minutes of your preferred physical warmup to loosen your muscles and release any tension in your shoulders, hips, and limbs. Do just enough to shake off the cobwebs and feel gently loosened up. No need to overcomplicate things! Keep it simple.
It’s a good idea to have a sense of how much ground you are going to cover.
- First, choose a starting point.
- Second, walk with an easy stride for about 10 steps.
- Then, walk back to your starting point. You now have an idea of the territory you are going to walk within.
- Now, take a deep breath, and get started . . .
Now, You’re Ready for the Walking Meditation!
Steps:
1) Gradually shift your weight to your left foot, while starting to shift the weight from your right foot.
2) As slowly as you can without teetering over, let the right foot lift, in a slow-motion step.
3) When you’re ready for the right foot to reach the earth, let the heel touch the ground first. Then, slowly, complete the walking motion, focusing on each centimeter of your foot as it comes into contact with the ground.
4) Repeat, with the other foot.
Enjoy Your Experiment in Moving Slow
If it helps, think of it as slow-motion walking. Approach the walking meditation with open-minded curiosity!
Consider your first walking meditations as an experiment, to see how much you can slow down. Place your attention into each sensation in your feet, feeling a deep sense of grounding and stability.
Take a moment and sense how your weight shifts from one foot to another, and which muscles engage as with each slight movement.
In the future, you can cover more distance. I find it helps to slow WAY down as you start your practice, making sure your body learns how to walk without purpose.
Slow Down Your Breath
See if you can slow your breath down, or match your breathing to each step in some way. Explore the breath in coordination with your movements. Make it your own experience, don’t worry about rules.
Wondering what to do with your arms? It doesn’t matter, as long as your arms are comfortable. You can even clasp your hands behind your back in a contemplative manner, as long as you are tension-free.
What Are the Benefits of Walking Meditation?
There are some key benefits that come with regular walking meditation practice. The following benefits have been reported:
- improved clarity & concentration
- increased creativity & productivity
- decreased stress & anxiety levels
- lower blood pressure
- reduced chronic pain symptoms
- better emotional regulation
- deeper relaxation
Research has also shown that this type of meditation increases access to intuition while building resilience against trauma and aiding in personal growth.
You might find it easier to be present. You’ll feel better able to let go of unwanted thoughts. You’ll feel more connected to nature, and more aware of your surroundings.
Whenever you tap into the power of your senses, you’ll experience a sense of slowing down that benefits you all day long.
Read About the Benefits of Meditation Walks
You can find more about meditational walking in the article The Benefits of Meditation Walks on the Healthline website.
Want to try different meditation styles?
You’ll find audio for guided meditations, as well as a variety of movement and sitting meditations on Small Steps, Big Joy.
