Walking Meditation
During actual meditation, when all our energy and aim is directed to the realization of what is happening within us, within our mind and body processes, that is the time when we get the most benefit.
The purpose of the meditation practice is:
- To keep the mind in the present moment.
- To keep mindfulness clear, calm and in the present moment.
- To see what is happening to our meditation object.
In walking meditation, the object of the mindfulness is the walking process.
Walking Meditation Process
The walking meditation process can be generally divided into three types:
- Brisk walking meditation
- Moderate walking meditation
- Slow walking meditation
Brisk Walking Meditation
In Brisk walking, we walk a bit faster than our normal walk. It can be extended to almost a run. When we perform brisk walking meditation, we just keep our mind on our footstep. To keep our mind on the footstep, we may say psychologically “right, left, right, left…”
Usually walking is done in a straight line, covering a not too long distance. At the end of the walking path, we turn.
Brisk walking meditation is sometimes used as an exercise because of the long hours of sitting. Sometimes, if we feel sleepy, brisk walking is beneficial. After doing brisk walking for five or ten minutes, we can then change to the moderate walk.
Moderate Walking Meditation
During a moderate walking meditation, most of the walking is done at a moderate speed.
How to Practice Walking Meditation
Posture:
First, we must be aware of our standing posture. The standing posture is a good grounding to bring our mindfulness down at our feet.
Breathing:
When we are standing, take a deep breath and relax. Relaxation is one of the first steps to arousing mindfulness. When we are tense, we cannot relax and be mindful. But When we know that our body is relaxed, let our mind be clear, without any thinking. Just keep the mind calm, clear and mentally relaxed.
Eyesight:
During walking meditation, our eyes are downcast but not looking down. Our eyelids are half-closed when we are relaxed. Only when we really want to look at something, do we look straight ahead. Otherwise, when we are relaxed, our eyes are downcast.
When the eyes are downcast, the eyes are not looking at what is on the floor. We are not focusing on anything because our awareness is brought to the soles of our feet. When we bring the
awareness from the head to the soles of the feet, we will know that the body is standing erect and firm. We can say in our mind “standing, standing…” and at the same time be aware of the whole
body. We have to make sure that we have the real awareness which has been described earlier—clear, steady, calm, very alert and sensitive to the sensation of the body standing. Then we bring the awareness to the soles of the feet. We will feel, with the sole of the feet on the ground, the
sensations there—which may be weight, texture, heat, coolness or just clear awareness.
Walk
When we have become aware of the sensations, we then start walking—right step, left step, right step, left step, saying in our minds “right step, left step, right step, left step.” Mentally saying “right step, left step” helps us keep our minds on the object; otherwise we will start thinking.
Usually, the hands are folded in front of or at the back of the body. The feet should not be lifted too high; otherwise, you will not be stable. The space between our feet should not be too far apart, otherwise, your walking will not be stable too. The pace of walking should be moderately slow and you should just take steps which are half the normal distance. When you move more slowly, you will find the feet as if gliding parallel to the ground. You do not have to
purposely lift your leg up high. When the body shifts forward, the heel automatically turns up; you do not have to turn your heel to the maximum, only slightly.
Then push the foot forward and step down. The stepping down should be leveled, like a slow natural walk. Make sure that you are mindful, clear, stable, peaceful, and very alert, aiming precisely at what is happening at the footstep.
It may seem a very simple process, but the mind is really unruly. It may not be focused at the foot for long but goes somewhere else—thinking, or it becomes dull—there is no more mindfulness
