Meditaiton Day 27 | Walking Meditation

My parents are smart people. Recently they rebuilt the house that was my grandparents to make it something that was uniquely them, a home they were comfortable living in for the rest of their lives. They were practical and made all the living spaces one level and the doors wide enough for wheelchairs, in case one of them ends up with mobility issues when they’re old. (For the record, they are both amazingly healthy, but they just have great forethought.) And they added some luxurious perks too, like the bath tubs (my favorite) that are perfect for long soaks, the ceilings are sky high, and their courtyard driveway is a brick labyrinth, perfectly designed for walking meditation.

The courtyard is rounded, flat, and open. When it was my grandparents’ home we rode bikes and played basketball there almost every day. (Lucky me lived next door.) My parents kept the space, but updated with two-tone pavers that map a continuous path from beginning to end looping around and around itself.

And while I was there visiting earlier this month, I took advantage and fell in love with the rhythm, the not busy/busy-ness of walking meditation. Walk with me.

You see, a walking meditation involves moving, usually along a path. And the thought is that the activity is mundane, simple, repetitive enough to put you into some kind of meditation. You can focus on your breath, your step. You focus on the experience of walking. Step followed by step.

What does the ground feel like? How do my muscles move beneath my skin? Where will my foot fall next? How do my arms sway? Where am I looking?

These aren’t questions I typically ask myself when I’m out walking for exercise or strolling with my children. And I found, as I became more at home in my stride, that I was able to relax. Calm my body and my thoughts. I found my shoulders relaxing, my arms swinging a little more, my steps a little freer.

I walked the labyrinth more than one morning. I loved the stepping, the birds singing, the fresh air. Walking meditation agrees with me and wakes up my body in a happy and caffeine-free kind of way.

And a huge thanks to Bobbi at Resplendent by Design who suggested the walking meditation to begin with. Without her, I would’ve been left admiring the moss that grew between the stones instead of the steps along the journey.

Have you ever tried a walking or moving meditation? What do you think?