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  • The Art of Walking Meditation

    February 10, 2022 3 min read

    There is rarely a perfect time to find complete isolation for meditation in a busy life. If you’re waiting for solitude and the right kind of light or weather, then chances of forming a habit are diminished due to friction points. Ideal circumstances may never come.

    Good news: meditation comes in many forms—standing, lying down, and of course, the usual fan favorite, sitting. Maybe you’re not a fan of being still? Perhaps you’re not in love with the zafu, your hip flexors are tight, and you just want to move. If even the thought of sitting in lotus in quiet makes you twitch, you should try walking meditation.

    Here are some tips to consider if you want to try walking meditation:

    Find little blips of time throughout your day. I complete a standing/walking meditation at moments where I am forced to pause, like while at the grocery store’s long line. Take these small openings of time for awareness building. Waiting becomes a less annoying preoccupation and instead becomes an oppurtunity.

    The slower the movement, the better. The concepts remain the same. You’re paying attention to each activity in each step.

    In Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s memoir  In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying,  he describes the basic mindful cadence of walking meditation as lifting, moving, and placing each foot.

    In his mind, he repeats lifting, moving, placing while in the act of walking. During the combination of moving and concentrating, you are partaking in a Vipassana practice.

    Use a more exact phraseology mentally and physically. Focus on and say (either aloud or silently): heel up, lift, move, lower, touch, and press. Or, you may choose to count 1-2-3-4 to signify each movement.

    Try starting small in your home with bare feet or in socks. Feel the floor as each foot lifts, moves, and places in a languid motion. Attempt to build this practice to 15 minutes at a time. You can walk in a small circle, double back on a short line in front of your bed even, or any other space. It’s free and available anywhere.

    Try listening to a guided meditation as you walk. If you find it difficult to talk yourself through a meditation, try listening to a guided meditation as you would a podcast. Check out our library of free guided meditations.

    The Art of Walking Meditation | Mukha Yoga

    Find little blips of time throughout your day. I complete a standing/walking meditation at moments where I am forced to pause, like while at the grocery store’s long line. Take these small openings of time for awareness building. Waiting becomes a less annoying preoccupation and instead becomes an oppurtunity.

    The slower the movement, the better. The concepts remain the same. You’re paying attention to each activity in each step.

    In Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s memoir In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying, he describes the basic mindful cadence of walking meditation as lifting, moving, and placing each foot.

    In his mind, he repeats lifting, moving, placing while in the act of walking. During the combination of moving and concentrating, you are partaking in a Vipassana practice.

    The Art of Walking Meditation | Mukha Yoga

    Use a more exact phraseology mentally and physically. Focus on and say (either aloud or silently) heel up, lift, move, lower, touch, and press. Or, you may choose to count 1-2-3-4 to signify each movement.

    Try starting small in your home with bare feet or in socks. Feel the floor as each foot lifts, moves, and places in a languid motion. Attempt to build this practice to 15 minutes at a time. You can walk in a small circle, double back on a short line in front of your bed even, or any other space. It’s free and available anywhere.

    Try listening to a guided meditation as you walk. If you find it difficult to talk yourself through a meditation, try listening to a guided meditation as you would a podcast. Check out our library of free guided meditations.

    Tricia Louvar l Mukha Yoga
    By Tricia Louvar; All Rights Reserved @2022

    Tricia Louvar l Mukha YogaBy Tricia Louvar; All Rights Reserved @2022