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How a mindful walk can help you step into meditation

AIA Vitality NZ - 5 min read

18 August 2021

Do you find traditional meditation challenging? A mindful walk might be just what the doctor ordered. Here’s what it’s all about.

When was the last time you went for a walk, just to walk? No music, podcast, phone calls or distractions and, perhaps most importantly, nowhere to be. Just you, slowly moving through the world.

This is the premise behind mindful walking, or a walking meditation. It’s about syncing your mind and body, focussing on your steps rather than your breath. Mindful walking teaches you to focus on something other than your thoughts. Many people find traditional meditation challenging, so a mindful walk, where you concentrate on steps instead of your breath, can be a great alternative.

An important part of Buddhist meditations, walking meditations were traditionally done in a circle. Participants would follow the same, slow steps, concentrating on the feeling of their foot hitting the ground – heel to toe – as they move. Many incorporate a mantra as they go.

Really though, you can do your mindful walk anywhere – you don’t need to drive to a forest or to a remote beach to reap the benefits (although walking in nature has its benefits). You can do a walking meditation – at any pace that feels comfortable – around your neighbourhood, on your way into the office, or even around the house.

Many people like to take a mindful walk immediately after their morning meditation, so they can take that feeling of calm out into the world. Mindful walks can be done solo, with a partner or friend – even with the dog.

Ready to give it a go? Here’s how to do it.

Notice your body

As soon as you leave the house (minus the distracting headphones!), think about how you feel. Are you hot or cold, calm or flustered, heavy or stiff? Andy Puddicombe, meditation and mindfulness expert (and co-founder of the Headspace app), suggests not focussing on any particular feelings – just notice them, and then let them pass.

After a few moments, consider your posture. Are you walking tall, with shoulders back, or are you curled over, as if walking against the wind? Finally, watch your walk. Are you taking long strides, or short steps? Moving fast or slow? Don’t try to change anything – simply observe how your body moves as you go.

What’s happening around you?

Now start to pay a little more attention to your surroundings. What can you see, hear, smell? Look up at the trees and note what colour the leaves are. Are there cars driving past, dogs barking, birds twittering? Can you feel any physical sensations, like the breeze on your cheeks, or the sun on your face? Note what’s happening around you, without paying any particular attention to it.

Find your rhythm

Finally, shift your attention to your steps, and how your feet physically feel as they touch the ground. Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh told Triangle magazine: “Physically our feet are doing the walking, but because our minds are elsewhere, we’re not walking with our full body and our full consciousness”. Keep this in mind as you walk. Can you make a concerted effort to walk in a heel-toe rhythm? Focus on the sensation of your feet touching the ground, your weight shifting from side to side and, as Thich Nhat Hanh says, “walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”

There’s no right or wrong

The aim of mindful walking is to free your mind of distractions, and avoid becoming overwhelmed or bothered with unhelpful thoughts. If you notice that you’re suddenly thinking about a difficult conversation you need to have with your boss, or an altercation you had over a parking spot, it’s totally fine (and expected!). When you have these thoughts, draw your focus back to your surroundings, the feeling of your feet on the ground, and how you’re moving through the space around you.

Don’t forget if you’re an AIA Vitality member, there are plenty of mindfulness exercises free for you to access on the app. Each exercise you do can also earn you AIA Vitality points, getting you closer to accessing your weekly Active Rewards!

This content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

AIA Vitality is a personalised, health and wellbeing program that supports you every day to make healthier lifestyle choices. Visit aiavitality.co.nz

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How a mindful walk can help you step into meditation

Notice your body

What’s happening around you?

Find your rhythm

There’s no right or wrong

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