Mindful walking and movement are wonderful practices that can really centre us in our bodies and the present moment.
By becoming more familiar with the intricacies of movement, we can experience a new-found appreciation for something that we do all the time, usually without giving it much attention.
How we practice mindful walking and movement will vary depending on where we are doing it. Here are three different ways that we can practice in our day-to-day lives.
1. Walking Meditation at Home
The easiest place to start practicing mindful walking or movement is at home. In the privacy of our own space, we can take the time to really slow down, creating a more intimate connection with how our bodies work and move, away from distraction.
If walking isn't possible for you, perhaps try some gentle stretching or upper body movement using the steps below as a guideline. It doesn't matter what you're moving or how you're doing it - as long as you're not straining your body in any way. What's important is that you're aware of your body and focusing your attention.
If you'd like to try mindful walking at home, start off by finding a clear space to walk around in. It doesn’t have to be a big space; just enough room to take a few mindful steps back and forth will do.
Before taking the first step, close your eyes for a moment and focus on the breath, trying to gently let go of any of any thoughts or worries. If it’s helpful, you can imagine your thoughts melting away through the breath, letting them leave the body as you exhale.
Opening your eyes, you can then begin with the first step. Lift your leg as you normally would, only slowing the movement right down, so that you become aware of how the leg feels as it lifts the foot away from the ground.
As you step forward, bring awareness to how the hips, thighs, knees and calves all work together, on both sides of the body.
As the foot reconnects with the floor, notice how the toes, the balls of the foot, and the heels feels as they individually make contact with the carpet or tiles.
Is the ground or air warm or cool?
Soft or hard?
Are there any textures to explore?
If the mind wanders, simply bring it back to the movement of the leg, foot or body and notice the different qualities of the process. Try walking up and down for a while in this way, remembering to breathe, and gently re-focussing the mind when it drifts onto other things.
Does the practice change your mood?
How does it feel in the body to slow down in this way?
Whatever experiences or sensations arise, try to be open to them, noticing them with a sense of curiosity, in the same way as when we are doing a seated meditation.
2. Mindful Walking in Nature
When we’re in the countryside or at the beach we can not only practice becoming aware of our individual bodies, but we can start to see ourselves as a small part of a bigger picture.
Our body takes its place as an instrument in nature’s orchestra of wildlife, swaying trees, falling rain and ocean waves. Seeing ourselves as a valid and equal part of life in this way can be very healing, and can offer us opportunities to cultivate gratitude and self-compassion.
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
-- Thích Nhất Hạnh
To build on our mindful walking practice, we can expand our awareness to how our movement or presence affects our immediate surroundings, and reversely how our surroundings affect us. For example, if we are walking on grass or sand, we can notice how our foot sinks into it, flattening it, perhaps leaving an indentation behind us. We may gently touch nature as we move.
We might not feel comfortable walking or moving quite as slowly as we do at home, but this is okay. However quickly or slowly we walk and move, there is always the opportunity to bring awareness into it.
And if we need to duck under branches or jump across streams along the way, we can also do this mindfully, noticing and enjoying the different movements of the body.
3. Resisting the Urban Rush
It’s one thing to walk mindfully at home or in the tranquillity of nature, but staying mindful in an urban area can be challenging. With so much noise and activity around us, it’s hard not to get swept away by the rush.
This is especially true when we’re walking along routine routes, for example walking to or from work. We’re sometimes so focused on our destination that we completely switch off for the journey.
However, even in the hustle and bustle of city life, we can still add some mindfulness to our steps and movement.
If we want to walk more mindfully in such a busy environment, it’s important to centre ourselves. Using the breath as an anchor can help us feel grounded in the midst of sensory overload.
By taking some deep, conscious breaths we can take a step back from our thoughts about everything that’s going on around us, and we can find a place of inner strength and calm.
We can then set the intention to go inwards and notice more about our movement, starting a similar process as the walking meditation, only not as slowly.
We’re bound to find our minds wandering frequently in the city, but again, each time we notice this we can gently return our attention to the breath, and to our movement.
We may notice aspects of ourselves in those around us as they run around with a smile on our face, feeling gratitude for our practice.
Why not experiment with mindful walking when you're next out and about and see how it changes your journey?
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Written by Oliver Dixon