WALKING MEDITATIONS
WALKING AND BREATHING
I like this because it’s something you can do while you’re walking from one place to another in the middle of your daily life. You don’t have to sit in one spot. Although walking meditations are most commony done in a Zendo or other meditation hall to break up bouts of sitting, there are some you can do almost anytime you’re wlking from one place to another. They combine exercise, breathing, relaxation and concentration.
The key element is to keep your walking and breathing synchronized. You’ll find that you can’t do that if your mind is filled with worries, daydreams, memories, or anything else that takes your attention away from the present moment. As soon as you notice that your walking and breathing aren’t in a matching rhythm any more, you that your mind has wandered and you can bring it back to this present moment of your experience. Especially your physical, somatic mind-body experience. Then when you get there—wherever you’re going—you’ll be here. More fully present and better able to respond effectively to whatever the situation requires.
So what’s the process? Suppose you’re standing and you take one step with one foot. Take another step with the other foot. Then do that again. So you’re stepping “left, right, left, right.” Do all that as you’re breathing in. Then do the same thing as you breathe out. Four steps as you inhale and four as you exhale. (Or if it’s easier for you, you can think of “left” as a half-step and “right” as another half step, so that “left, right” is a full step. If so, then your mind says, “two full steps as you inhale and then two full steps as you exhale.”
Try that now. Then read on. . .
That’s it. That’s the basic process right there. How fast you move depends on how fast or slow, how shallowly or deeply you breathe. Do what’s comfortable.
You’ll probably find that four steps (or “two full steps”) as you inhale and four as you exhale is a fairly slow walk that’s good when you have plenty of time. Chance are you’ll find that you’re more sensitive to and observant of the environment you’re passing through as well as to your internal sensations. That can be a trip.
When you start to walk using this walking-breathing pattern, after a short time you’ll probably notice that your walking and breathing are no longer connected. Your mind has gone bye-bye from your body. Stop for an instant. Then continue to walk, again folllowing the breathing pattern just described. Do that each time you notice a breathing-walking disconnect. Chances are you’ll get better and better at keeping them connected—which also means better and better at staying present with your immediate experience.
You might find that four steps as you inhale and four as you exhale is too. Maybe you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. But wouldn’t it be nice to make good time and also stay present in your moment-by-moment awareness?
Then try doing the same thing with six steps as you inhale and six as you exhale (or, changing our language, three full steps as you inhale and three as you exhale.) That’s a faster walk. Or if you really need to make time, try eight step as you inhale and eight as you exhale. The express walk! Good for when you’re in a hurry. But get this— you probably won’t feel hurried. You’ll still be present in each moment as you walk. And present when you get where your’re going. That can be big, especially if it’s an important meeting!
If possible, try this for at least five minutes now, using at least two of the walking patterns just described.
(There’s also the other direction. You can slow down to two steps as you inhale and two as you exhale. Very slow. Very attuned to what’s around you and in you. Or even one step (one “half step) as you inhale and one as you exhale. You might find it hard to keep your balance when you go that slowly. But you’ll find it pretty tough to do at all unless you keep your mind nearly a hundred percent right here right now.
And here’s a word from Matrix Meditations: “In co-ordinating your breath and movement you are your own teacher and trainer. . . Since any kind of physical movement is an opporunity to listen to what your body is telling you, you might learn something new.”
Enjoy!
c 2021 by Victor Daniels
You may share this as widely as you wish as long as the sharing is freely given no charge is made for it. Inclusion in anything for which a charge is made requires the author’s written permission. Photo credit: Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay