Walking Meditation
Every path, every street in the world is your walking meditation path — Thich Nhat Hahn
I’ve been trying to cultivate a meditation practice for close to five years now. Yet it seems for every great experience, there are twenty more that I couldn’t get into. Couldn’t clear my mind and just focus.
I know the benefits of meditation. I know that it reduces stress and makes you happy. I know that it helps you to become more compassionate and aware. I know about the mantras, the breathing, the mindfulness exercises. I truly love the idea of controlling your thoughts in order to lead a better life.
But for some reason nothing ever stuck. That was until I was introduced to the concept of walking meditation. The idea is that you bring the concepts of meditation — mindfulness, mantras, whatever you like — to your walks.
The idea is that you bring the concepts of meditation — mindfulness, mantras, whatever you like — to your walks.
I have begun to treat my hikes as a meditative experience. I love that it allows me to ground myself within the natural world. To see the bigger picture outside of the walls of my house. Appreciate my surroundings.
I highly recommend trying a walking meditation on your next hike. It brings such a greater awareness and enjoyment to the experience. You’ll be surprised at how peaceful and whole you feel afterwards. I know the task of meditating seems a little daunting, but these questions always work for me:
- Check in with yourself — How are you feeling in the moment? How does the sun feel on your skin? How does the fresh air feel on your face?
- Reflect on your day, week, month — What’s happened to you lately? How has it made you feel? What have you learned? How have you grown?
- Get to the root of your feelings — What is causing you these feelings? How can you change things for the better? Or how can you keep it the same?
- Set an intention — What is something that you can do differently moving forward to better your life and others?
5. Just be — Stop thinking. Take in your surroundings. Focus on your breath.
I know it’s not your typical meditation, but try it out. I promise you’ll be happily surprised.
