If you thought that meditation had to be done in a silent room while sitting in a lotus pose, think again. Meditation can be done just about anywhere, provided you are able to be present and aware of your surroundings. Enter: walking meditation. Meditating while out for a walk can be a great way to take care of both your mind and your body.
Intrigued? Check out this gallery to find out more.
While it is, of course, possible to meditate this way, meditation does not actually require a person to be sitting still for it to be effective.
Indeed, meditation can be just as effective if practiced when you are in motion. Enter: walking meditation.
Walking meditation is best described as "the practice of walking while being fully present and aware of one’s body and surroundings."
As with other types of meditation practice, there are many proven benefits to walking meditation, and it is very easy to get started.
Let's look first at some reasons to get into walking meditation. Firstly, it is worth remembering that meditation in general has proven benefits for cognitive and mental health.
According to one study from 2013, meditating for just 13 minutes every day over an eight-week period can have a positive impact on mood, attention, and memory.
If you have had a bad day or are in a bad mood for whatever reason, practicing some walking meditation can be a great way to refresh yourself and reset your mood.
Add in the walking element, and you get double the benefit!
When you are first getting started with walking meditation, it can be difficult to know whether you are doing it right. You can rest assured, however, that it is difficult to get wrong.
As you make a mental note of any difficult thoughts and feelings that arise, try to let them go by focusing instead on how you are interacting with your physical surroundings.
Focus on how your feet feel as they touch the ground, how the cool breeze feels against your skin, and how the rustle of the trees lands on your ear.
Take a mental note, too, of any thoughts or feelings you have related to the day you just had, or the events that are upcoming in your life.
Continue this practice as you progress through your walk. Observe your thoughts and feelings, note them, and let them go by focusing on your surroundings.
As you move through your practice, try to focus on your senses one at a time. For example, focus on smells, and then focus on what you see as you walk.
Take a mental note of any judgments you might have about your surroundings or what you are doing and thinking.
If you are just getting started with walking meditation, it is a good idea to take it slow and do your practice in a quiet and calm location with few distractions.
Let's look now at how you can get started with walking meditation. The first thing to note is that this meditative practice does not have to be complicated.
In fact, it involves barely any planning at all. Rather, it is about walking just as you would any other day, just with a little more mindfulness and intention.
Go easy on yourself and try not to criticize yourself if your mind wanders. Sometimes you will find this happens much more than other times.
The bottom line is that walking meditation can be a great way to improve your mental health, while getting in some of that all-important physical exercise.
Tell yourself that it is okay if you get carried away by your thoughts and feelings at certain points during your practice.
This form of meditative practice can help reduce stress and anxiety, lead to better sleep, and even help improve conditions like high blood pressure. Why not get started today?
Sources: (Verywell Mind) (Mindful)
Provided you are going into your practice with the intention of being present, you can be sure you are doing it right.
When in doubt or when finding your practice particularly difficult, remember to focus on the five senses: sight, smell, taste, sound, and touch.
If you are still plagued with worries about getting it wrong, start by reminding yourself that learning any new skill takes time and practice.
It doesn’t even matter how many times that happens. The important thing is that you continue to gently bring yourself back to the present moment.
What is walking meditation, and how can you get started?
A dynamic take on mindfulness meditation
HEALTH Mental health
If you thought that meditation had to be done in a silent room while sitting in a lotus pose, think again. Meditation can be done just about anywhere, provided you are able to be present and aware of your surroundings. Enter: walking meditation. Meditating while out for a walk can be a great way to take care of both your mind and your body.
Intrigued? Check out this gallery to find out more.