Walking With Mindfulness

#Mindfulness meditation is not something that you have to do on a cushion or chair with your eyes closed. When we bring focused attention to any activity, we are practicing mindfulness.

Here is a story from #Buddha's time:

Once a man came to Buddha and asked,"Why are all the seekers leaving their esteemed teachers and choosing to follow you?

Buddha replied "I do not know."

The man persisted, "But surely there is some reason. What is it you are doing?"

"Well, I can tell you what we do", replied Buddha, "When we sit, we are sitting, when we stand, we are standing, when we listen, we are listening, when we eat, we are eating, when we speak, we are speaking, when we walk, we are walking. That's it."

Mindful walking affords us another opportunity to bring our mindfulness practice into our daily life.

In my work as a psychotherapist, I have observed that people with busy brains or have been diagnosed with #ADHD, #anxiety or with #PTSD often find mindful walking a 'go to' practice for them.

MINDFUL WALKING: Version 1

#Walking #meditation means bringing your attention to the actual experience of walking as you are walking. It is an opportunity to ground the mind in the present moment. Mindful walking is knowing you are walking as you are actually doing so. As with all the other mindfulness practices, when the brain wanders away from the sense of the breath-body, we simply use the #mind (focused attention) to bring it back when we become aware the #brain (unfocused attention ) has wandered…again!

When we practice mindful walking, we are not trying to get some place. We just want to be with the breath-body as we walk. We want to be present for each step. Walking Meditation is a way to move off automatic pilot or a brain highway and enter the present moment.

Of course the brain will be up to its tricks telling us to stop this nonsense. Like a wild stallion, the brain resists training. The brain has had its way with us for a long time and enjoys this power. It can be a refreshing and challenging adventure to train the brain, step – by - step and breath - by - breath.

MINDFUL WALKING: VERSION 1

Practice each at least 10 minutes to get a sense of each walking practice

1. TAKE A MOMENT AND BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO YOUR BREATHING.

2. BEGIN WALKING AS YOU DO NORMALLY.

3. AS YOU WALK, BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO EACH STEP BY SAYING IN YOUR MIND: “STEP, STEP, STEP” AS YOUR FEET MEET THE GROUND.

4. ONCE YOU ARE EXPERIENCING EACH STEP MINDFULLY, PERHAPS YOU CAN NOTICE YOUR BREATH NATURALLY CONNECTS WITH YOUR FEET TOUCHING THE GROUND AROUND EVERY 3 STEPS OR SO.(With this first practice, you are not trying to sync the breath with the steps, you are just noticing what happens naturally).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MINDFUL WALKING: VERSION 2

1. TAKE A MOMENT AND BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO YOUR BREATHING.

2. BEGIN WALKING AS YOU DO NORMALLY.

3. FOCUS ON THE SENSATION OF THE FEET IN THE SHOES AS YOU WALK. THE SENSATION OF THE FEET IN THE SHOES IS THE FOCUS OF MINDFULNESS.

4. AFTER TEN MINUTES OR SO, ASK YOURSELF HOW WAS THIS DIFFERENT FROM #1?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MINDFUL WALKING: VERSION 3

1. TAKE A MOMENT AND BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO YOUR BREATHING.

2. CHOOSE A TRAIL, PARK OR BEACH FOR THIS PRACTICE AND BEGIN WALKING AS

YOU DO NORMALLY.

3. FOCUS ON THE TOPOGRAHY OF THE GROUND. IT IS HEIGHTENED IF WE CAN DO

THIS PRACTICE WITH NO SHOES.

4. AGAIN, AFTER PRACTICING ASK YOURSELF, "HOW WAS THIS DIFFERENT FROM 1

AND 2?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++PRACTICAL MATTERS

Any time we are walking, we can practice mindful walking. What I like about the practice, is no one knows I am practicing when I walk from my car to the grocery store or when I walk on the trails. Perhaps it would be wise for you to decide which practice is best for you and commit to it for a time and notice what influence in may have on your day to day life.