Explore Mindfulness Through Walking Meditation

“The living moment is everything.” – D.H. Lawrence

Most of us spend a considerable amount of time walking – to and from appointments, errands, or meetings and walking for enjoyment or exercise.  Since walking is a relatively simple activity that we engage in on a regular basis, it is a wonderful opportunity to integrate mindfulness into your normal routine.

Mindfulness Exercise: Walking Meditation

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook has some excellent guidelines for how to practice walking meditation:

Stand and relax your abdominal muscles

Take in a few deep belly breaths and draw your attention towards the sensation of your abdomen rising and falling with each breath.  Begin walking, continuing to be mindful of your deep belly breaths.  It is helpful for some to repeat the word “in” with each inhalation and “out” with each exhalation.  This is also a useful trick for keeping your focus on your breath rather than your internal thoughts and emotional processes.

Allow one foot to touch the ground at the beginning of each in and out breath

Try to avoid forcing your breathing too much.  Actively notice how many steps it takes to feel a natural coordination between your breath and your gait.

When thoughts or images disrupt your focus, simply notice 

Thoughts, emotions, and images naturally arise in the mind.  As you experience these occurrences – pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral – refrain from judgment and simply notice their presence.  Once they have been observed, return your focus to your breath.

Actively attend to the physical sensations of walking

Be aware of the physical sensations in your feet and legs as they propel you forward, as they crunch on the ground beneath you, and as your muscles gradually fatigue from walking.  Notice the sensations of your weight shifting from one side to the other, of which spot of your foot touches the ground first, and the feelings in your joints as they bend and straighten.  If thoughts or feelings enter your awareness that begin to take your focus away from the present moment and present sensations, make a mental note of this and non-judgmentally shift your attention back to your breath and your movement.

Try counting your steps in time with your breath as you walk

If you notice that you tend to take four steps during each inhale and each exhale, consciously say to yourself, “In … two … three … four.  Out … two … three … four.”  If your breath or pace changes, just readjust your counting to match your natural breath and pace of walking.  The idea is to continually bring your attention back to the present moment.

If the idea of walking meditation is new to you or if you notice yourself having any judgmental thoughts about whether this may or may not be helpful to you, simply notice whatever thoughts or feelings arise.  Try not to be tempted to rush to judgment about an activity that may be new.  Part of adopting a mindful state of mind/being involves the willingness to adopt an open and curious stance toward our unfolding experience.  The next time that you feel particularly stressed as you rush about from one place to another, try thinking of that as an opportunity to practice walking meditation.

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Davis, M., Eshelman, E.R., & McKay, M. (2008). The relaxation and stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Featured image: winter friends by AlicePopkorn / CC BY 2.0

About Laura K. Schenck, Ph.D., LPC

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Some of my academic interests include: Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, stress reduction, work/life balance, mood disorders, identity development, supervision & training, and self-care.

3 Comments

  1. James on June 20, 2011 at 9:39 am

    I love your point about viewing a moment when you are feeling particularly stressed and rushing about as an opportunity to practice walking meditation.

    Do you have any thoughts on “napping meditation”? I like to lay down a 1-2 times a day for 15-20 minutes, relax, focus on my breath, and watch my thoughts come and go. Ideally, at the end of this time, my mind is clear, and I am able to focus on the thoughts that are important and dismiss the ones that I could do better without… for the time being anyway.

    • Laura on June 30, 2011 at 5:01 pm

      James – I’m glad that you found this post helpful. I find that when we reframe stressful or negative situations as opportunities to practice skills (e.g., mindfulness), we are taking an otherwise unpleasant situation and using it constructively.

      The way that you describe your experience of “napping meditation” sounds like an excellent form of meditation. My understanding is that what matters is that your meditative practice includes active relaxation coupled with increasing awareness. It sounds like your meditative naps do not include actually falling asleep (i.e., losing consciousness) and that you use this time as an opportunity to mindfully observe your thoughts. I’m glad to hear that you find this practice so beneficial!

  2. Heather on November 6, 2013 at 6:09 pm

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