619-296-7591

 

Mindfulness Walking Meditation

Here is a Mindfulness Walking Meditation in the style I learned from the Vietnamese Buddhist meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.

We all need ways to de-stress, especially in the days of Covid and Political turmoil. Mindfulness is my favorite way of de-fragging my mental computer, of tossing out the trash, gently.

Take Each Step As If It Were A Royal Decree

Choose a relatively quiet spot with relatively level ground. It can be a park, the forest, an alley, your living room even.

Begin with a relaxed posture, straight relaxed spine, an awareness of your entire body in time and space and of your feet planted firmly on the earth.

Bring your awareness to your natural breath sensations.

Keep your eyes on the ground about 7 to 10 feet ahead. Your chin tucks in a smidgen, your view is of the path you will follow

Notice the urge to take a step. Notice how before you can step you have to make the subtle decision to do so. As you walk, pay attention to this ongoing process, to all your bodily sensations, and to your natural breath sensations.

Notice the sounds of the world around you, how pleasant they are when you just let them be, and dont pull them in , nor push them away, nor identify them as positive or negative. they are just what they are, sound waves.

Notice all bodily sensations with the same neutral non-attached attitude.

If you notice yourself distracted by thoughts, by the process of thinking, or by some kind of emotion, dont push it away, dont hold onto it, just return to your awareness of walking and the body doing the walking…

Congratulations! You are now doing Mindfulness Walking Meditation.

Try doing this for 15 minutes a day for 18 days, and notice how you feel.

See the attached video for a guided Mindfulness Walking Meditation

Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness Practice involves sitting meditation, walking meditation, and cultivating awareness in the moment throughtout the day, when speaking, when posting on Twitter, when driving the car or washing the dishes. Its a corrective to the tendency to be on autopilot and to act out of the subconscious impulse, rather than out of wisdom.

Some times are easier than others. Its important to embrace failure as part of the process. You dont get brilliant great meditatioins every time. Just keep at it, like learning the piano or pedalling a bicycle. Just keep pedalling. You’ll get there, you will see.

Pin It on Pinterest