A remarkable seven years into my meditation journey, I finally ventured into the realm of walking meditation.
“I realized that one of the most challenging aspects of mindfulness practice was releasing effort. For years, I approached meditation as just another item on my daily task list — mindfulness…check. This task-centered mentality transformed meditation into a task that I could potentially mismanage.”
— Seth J. Gillihan, PhD, Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Simple Path to Healing, Hope, and Peace
Took me quite a while to consider a walking meditation, didn’t it?
I have a tendency to think, “I’ll adhere to what most individuals claim is the correct method! The OPTIMAL METHOD! Because I strive hard to excel in things!”
Regrettably, I carry this behavior into numerous areas of life, be it writing, brewing kombucha, working with resin, or many other activities. I conduct some research, choose what seems to me at the moment to be the best, and cling stubbornly to it, even if it’s perhaps not the most suitable approach for a novice, even if I ought to remain open to alternative methods.
I’m gradually learning to be less obstinate about what appears to be the “best method.” I perform more research prior to forming opinions. I now make room for diverse opinions and methods. It’s a gradual journey of transformation, but I’m making progress.
And walking meditations are something that I, in my obstinacy, believed to be lesser compared to a quiet seated meditation. Yet, I was ensnared in the trap of believing there’s only one correct way to engage in activities.
Meditation is often a slow practice for many of us to master.
It required me a solid two to three years of trying to meditate before I began to truly quiet my thoughts. This was partly due to my lack of training in redirecting my attention inward. In my initial meditation classes, I’d find myself seated on a yoga block in a wonderfully tranquil studio, attempting to settle my thoughts.
It was an ideal environment for meditation. I would attend meditation classes in similar settings in future studios and my various residences — seeking out quiet, dark spaces. However, it was actually in one of my noisiest apartments, where I had neighbors who blasted dubstep for 14 hours each day, that I experienced some of my most profound moments of focus. I had to exert significant effort to shut out the noise, and once I finally succeeded, my focus was quite sharp.
It seems like the least favorable scenario to meditate, yet paradoxically, the increased challenge of blocking out the distractions around me actually enhanced my awareness of the sensations within my body.
I tried a walking meditation for the first time and discovered that it was surprisingly easy to concentrate on bodily sensations while moving.
The guided meditation track I listened to encouraged the participant to notice the sensation of each foot either grounded or moving towards the surface. It prompted me to focus on the muscle engagement in each foot, the stretch, followed by the relaxation that accompanied each step.
I was able to tune into these subtle sensations much quicker than I anticipated. There’s something about the immediacy of movement that allows for a surprisingly easy transition into mindful awareness when we truly concentrate and focus.
Walking meditations challenge us to sharpen our focus amid the chaos of the world around us.
This is where the beauty of walking meditation becomes evident. Similar to how I paradoxically had some of my most successful meditations in my loudest apartment, I was amazed at how effortlessly I entered a meditative state. My thoughts quieted down faster than they had in recent weeks.
There are various perspectives on meditation, and I believe every attempt holds value. I’ve been exploring a translation and interpretation of the yoga sutras (with an emphasis on a women’s perspective) by Nischala Joy Devi, who elucidated the terms dharana and dhyana. I’ll quote Devi’s definitions because these two terms convey a subtle yet essential distinction in the meditation process.
“Gathering consciousness and focusing it within is Dharana (contemplation). The continuous inward flow of consciousness is Dhyana (meditation).”
— Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras
In essence, we begin with contemplation, draw our attention inward, and then proceed to the next step toward meditation. Viewing contemplation as a precursor to meditation is an idea that resonated with me profoundly.
When embarking on a new practice, having more chances to integrate it helps.
I’ve absorbed quite a bit about the fundamental flaws of our hustle culture. Yet whether you’ve chosen to take things slow or if circumstances compel you to maintain a fast pace (I understand, I was financially constrained for a long time), if walking is part of your routine, this can be an excellent opportunity to weave meditation into your day.