Experience
of Walking Meditation

As its name suggests, walking meditation is a type of meditation that occurs while walking. This type of meditation requires you to focus complete attention on your feet, legs and body. There are times when the mind will wander, and this is where you need to bring your mind back to the experience of walking.

This type of meditation can be practiced indoors as well as outdoors. The practice of this meditation is fairly common in Buddhist and Taoist traditions. The aim of this meditation is to realize that each step we take is toward a journey that takes us into a spiritual plane and brings us peace and joy. It is also a preliminary practice for deeper meditation practices, such as "emptiness of phenomena".

Different From Sitting Meditation

This type of meditation is different from sitting meditation in more than one way. It can only be done with eyes open, unlike in sitting and most of the other types of meditation. At the same time, this doesn't mean that your area of focus and the final goal is different in walking meditation. It is the same as experienced in mindfulness meditation, breathing meditation or loving-kindness meditation (Metta Bhavana).

One of the biggest differences lies in your being aware of objects that lie outside. These objects could be a rock that can trip you over or everything else is around you, people and actions included. In sitting meditation there is no movement and hence the awareness of objects in your immediate surrounding is quite irrelevant. Some of the other things that you will be aware of during meditation include the sense and perception of nature (sun, wind, sky, rain, etc), the sound of nature, and other mechanical or human sounds.

The biggest difference between walking meditation and sitting meditation is movement. In sitting meditation, you will be in a static position irrespective of the place or environment you are meditating in. But when you are walking, there will be a constant awareness of your body in motion.

One of the important things to note here is the fact that when you meditate in a sitting position, it will be easier for your mind to not grab the various sensations that arise. But when you meditate while walking, your mind will be more exposed to these sensations, which will make your experience more intense and connected with the outside. This intense experience will help increase awareness toward your physical form but it will also push you to consider the outside world more real than it is.

Awareness into Practice

You can practice walking meditation every day, and there are no time boundaries for practicing it. You can start with few minutes and increase the time frame. This meditation will help in developing your ability to be aware and carry the awareness into your day to day life.

Under normal circumstances, most people walk everyday even if it is from the house to the car or from the parking area to the office. This is the time when you can squeeze in meditation and experience the positivity that it will bring into your life. By practicing walking meditation on a regular basis, you will learn to de-fragmenting your mind. You will learn the art of focusing on walking and this focus will help you to harness the positive energy within you and around you. It will help you strengthen your psyche and experience fulfillment in life.

Learn what you can get from my services. You can take a consultation to learn meditate, to check if you are still on track with your practice, to take the next step in your spiritual growth or to support your healing process.

Do you have questions about meditation ? Feel free to contact me.



Return to "Types of Meditation"

Return to Home Page "Spirituality and Health" from "Walking Meditation"