Yes, for those who can’t sit still. Ready to get Zen? In walking meditation, called “kinhin” in the Zen tradition, practitioners move slowly and continuously while staying aware of the body and mind. In the practice of mindful walking, you place your entire awareness in the process of walking. Walking meditation is a more practical approach to mindfulness meditation for people who are not used to meditation while sitting.
Here are few things you can so to practice mindful walking meditation
- Firstly find a unobstructed space where you can walk for about ten feet. This is the instruction given in Satipatthana Sutta itself. It’s also recommended to walk bare feet as it brings more awareness to what happens in the body when you’re walking. Bring your awareness down to your feet. Notice the sensations here. Shift your weight from your left leg to your right leg.
- Secondly shift your weight from your left leg to your right leg. Lift your head and look straight ahead and hold your chest high. You can hold your hands loosely to the side or clasp them behind your back. Now being the process of walking. Extend the right leg forward and notice the weight redistribution.
- Final step is that as the weight shifts forward, notice how the heel of your left leg begins to lift. Swing the left leg forward and repeat. At the end of the walking path, come to a complete stop and take a deep mindful breath. Now turnaround and walk to the other side following the same practice. To start with, practice mindful walking for 5 mins and gradually increase the duration.
Satipatthana Sutta, a widely studies discourse in Theraveda Buddhism, lays the foundation of mindfulness meditation practice. In Kaya Sutta, walking is one of the postures to be mindful of along with sitting, standing and lying down.
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