In this technological age we live in, it’s rare to see someone walking without an iPod or some other music or media player strapped to them. Listening to music or even watching a video is so commonplace that few of us take the time to enjoy the stillness of our thoughts and the interaction with our bodies that walking meditation allows. Even if it’s just one day a week, consider replacing one of your gym sessions with a walking meditation session. Better still, take your walk outside so you can enjoy the sounds of nature and your own thoughts and body signals. Supercharge this by considering walking BAREFOOT to truly receive the powerful benefits of connecting with the planet Earth.
Buddhist monks often use walking meditation as part of their daily lives while they move dutifully from one task to another. In addition to helping them develop mindfulness and loving kindness while they travel around, walking meditation is also used as a kind of meditation in its own right, with the monks scheduling time to walk up and down a set course or even a circular track to help keep their bodies at ease while also relieving tension that builds up over the course of their service. Paying attention to the body as it moves also helps them to be more in tune to it and, by extension, the world around them. This is best displayed by walking a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a spiritual tool used by humanity for over 4000 years to center the heart, calm the body, clear the mind, and self-align oneself. It is merely a circular path, and you can’t do it wrong! There is even evidence that walking the labyrinth positively affects brain waves and neurology!
Scheduling time for a sitting meditation can be difficult for some, but since most everyone spends time walking each day, walking allows for a kind of meditation that even the busiest people can fit into their lifestyle, and you don’t even have to walk slowly or in nature to reap the benefits – all that’s required is an attentive mind and a willing body.
Just ditch the devices or at LEAST switch them to AIRPLANE MODE.
