If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

You probably know that walking is a great way to stay healthy physically. It provides cardiovascular benefits, burns calories, and increases blood flow to various parts of your body that need it. However, have you ever thought of combining the time you spend walking with spiritual and mental meditation, so that you can increase the benefits walking can offer you?

Oftentimes, when people take up walking, they do so because it’s an easy way to exercise that is low impact and is easy to learn. You don’t need special equipment or even a lot of time. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and walk your way toward better health.

However, if you combine this with meditation or mindful walking, you can get even more benefit out of this time than you would normally spend just exercising.

Walking meditation comes from the art of Ayatana; Ayatana is a Buddhist concept whereby you stay continually in touch with your senses. You don’t walk mindlessly, but focus on every step and sensation. You don’t have to increase your speed and even may walk a lot more slowly than usual at first until you are fully comfortable with meditating while you walk.

As you concentrate on your steps, focus mentally on the heaviness or lightness of your feet as they leave the pavement and then hit the ground after each stride. As you practice mindful walking, you need to concentrate on the experience and not let your thoughts wander off to other activities and worries. Focus on the process, and take note of the details involved in moving each foot in turn.

Frequently, meditation involves closing your eyes in order to shut out distractions and clear your mind. But meditation while walking necessitates that your eyes stay open, not only so that you can see where you’re going, but also so you can take in your surroundings and incorporate them into your mindfulness.

The ideal surroundings for walking meditation are somewhere peaceful and appealing. Your neighborhood park is good; road construction is bad. Your environment should be inviting enough that time passes quickly and pleasantly. You should aim to walk for a minimum of 20 minutes each time.

As you start out on your walk, maintain proper body alignment. Keep your arms loosely at your sides and gaze ahead of you about three to six feet as you move along.

Walking has many healthy benefits for your body, and can lift your spirits through the release of serotonin in your brain. By pairing up walking and meditation, you can experience a potent mix of benefits for both your body and your mind.

Popularity: 3% [?]