Online MBCT/MBSR Lesson 5

Home Practice Review: Mindful Walking I

Mindful walking is similar to the mindful movement practice in that in each we're moving and paying attention to the physical sensations in our bodies associated with this movement. Mindful walking includes an additional element, as our footsteps provide a steady marker we can use to help keep us grounded in the present moment.

Mindful walking is also similar to mindful breathing. When we maintain an awareness of our breathing, we’re able to use our continuously-arising inbreaths and outbreaths as anchors to help us stay in the present moment. Just like our breath is always there, when we were walking, our footsteps are always there. Each step is followed by another, and by paying attention to our footsteps and the physical sensations as our feet hit the ground, we can use our footsteps as anchors to the present.

Combining an awareness of our breath with an awareness of our footsteps—so that we're coordinating the two and measuring our breath with our footsteps, breathing in for 2 or 3 steps and breathing out for 2 or 3 steps—can further strengthen our connection to the present moment.

Now take some time to reflect on what your experience was like when you did the mindful walking throughout the week, perhaps writing down your answers in your notebook:

1. How well were you able to keep your attention focused on your footsteps and the sensations associated with walking?
 
2. How much did you mind wander? How does this compare with the meditations you’ve done when you’re sitting or lying down and not moving?
 
3. What did you do when you noticed your mind had wandered? How well were you able to reconnect with your footsteps and use them as an anchor to help bring you back the present?
 
4. Compared with meditations in which you sit or lie still, did you find moving around helps pull yourself out of your head, not get caught up in thinking, and to let go of distracting thoughts when they do arise?
 
5. In general, how did your experience during the mindful walking compare with your experiences in the sitting and body scan meditations in which you're not moving?
 
6. How did you feel after doing some mindful walking?