Now we're going to practice another form of mindful movement, mindful walking. Mindful walking is similar to the mindful movement practice that we did last week—in each we're moving and then paying attention to the sensations in our body associated with that movement.
In a formal walking meditation, we bring moment-to-moment awareness to the physical sensations that arise as we walk out and back along a path of five to ten paces. We pay attention to our footsteps and the sensations in our feet and legs as we walk, as well as to our breath, and whatever other physical sensations arise.
Before starting this meditation, we're going to go over the basic instructions, as they can be difficult to follow just listening to them.
As we very slowly and mindfully take each step, we're going to focus on the physical sensations we're experiencing anywhere in our bodies, but especially in our feet and legs, as:
Now try taking a couple of steps in this manner to familiarize yourself with the process, before starting the mindful walking meditation below.
Before starting this mindful walking meditation, prepare by getting in your socks or bare feet, and make sure you have a clear space where you can walk out and back 5-10 paces. When you're ready, play the audio file below.