Hello everybody!
The theme of today’s newsletter will be meditation based (again!) because we’re doing the March Meditation Challenge this month (10 minutes of meditation a day for 31 days).
So far during the #MMChallenge, we’ve been using the Posture Breath Witness meditation technique (a seated technique). But some people might find this technique challenging; you might find it difficult to sit still, or maybe it’s hard for you to find 10 minutes of solitude and quiet during the day. If that’s you, walking meditation can be a great alternative. Walking meditation also makes a great addition to your meditation practice.
Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh inspired me to start walking meditation, and I often think of him when I am on my weekly walks. I love how he describes walking as a sacred act - treating the earth with reverence:
Many of us walk for the sole purpose of getting from one place to another. Now suppose we are walking to a sacred place. We would walk quietly and take each gentle step with reverence. I propose that we walk this way every time we walk on the earth. The earth is sacred and we touch her with each step. We should be very respectful, because we are walking on our mother. If we walk like that, then every step will be grounding, every step will be nourishing. - Thich Nhat Hanh
Walking meditation makes me feel truly connected to Mother Earth; walking meditation awakens the nature of interbeing — that nature is not outside of us but inside of us, that we are one. The idea of ‘walking on our mother’ may feel strange but you start to understand that this language isn’t purely a poetic device, but instead a deep truth. And when we are very quiet, when we are very still, we can hear that soft small voice - the voice of our intuition.
When I posted on my Instagram about the power of listening to our intuition, I received a fair bit of pushback in the comments. It appears that many of us have forgotten how to hear that voice. Many of us don’t even believe we have one. We have lost contact with that inner voice of knowing and instead place all of our trust in a clear cut concept/labelling/categorisation perspective.
That’s not to say that there’s nothing to learn from experts and research and randomised controlled trials - of course there is; but when we only believe in science, and we don’t believe in what we cannot measure and what we cannot see, we lose touch with our inner wisdom and become dependent upon authorities outside of ourselves.
Research into meditation can measure the effects of lowered stress, anxiety and blood pressure but it can’t measure awakening intuition and deepening wisdom… but that doesn’t mean these things don’t occur.
Are you still with me? Are you ready to not only lower your cortisol levels but also connect to the earth and become a bodhisattva? Let’s go!
How to do walking meditation
The ‘how’ itself isn’t difficult: walk really slowly in silence. What might feel difficult at first is the sound of silence. Noise can feel like a security blanket and we might feel vulnerable, uncomfortable or even bored without noise as an accompaniment.
Slow walking: If you feel embarrassed to walk really slowly in a public setting you can adjust your pace dependent on the environment. Don’t rush, be relaxed. It is important that your pace is much slower than normal.
Silence: No AirPods, no talking. Just quiet. At first your mind will be very busy but it always slows down overtime. Trust the process!
Attention to the step: Whereas in seated meditation where you pay attention to the breath, in walking meditation we pay attention to each foot making contact with the ground and lifting back up again; right left, right left etc. When you find yourself getting distracted by your thoughts, bring your attention back to the step.
Who to do it with and where?
What’s so great about walking meditation is that we walk often, so technically you can meditate whenever you’re walking! You can set aside a specific day and time to practice or you can implement it into your daily steps through mindful practice.
Mindful practice: When going about your day and doing regular tasks, become mindful of the steps you take. Walking from the couch to the fridge, from the bed to the shower or from the office to the bus stop, these are all opportunities to bring your attention back to your steps.
Specific practice: Set aside a specific day and time to practice either by yourself or with a group. I find it best to meet up with others because they help keep me accountable (I struggle to wake up at 6am and knowing there’s a group of people waiting helps me jump out of bed on cold mornings!). Not only that, creating spiritual friends who share similar interests and aspirations is integral on this journey.
Why do it?
There are so many benefits to walking meditation; I can’t name them all below but I’ll give you a start:
Easy, free & accessible*: You can do it anywhere at no cost. *Walking is not possible for all people and this is when seated meditation is recommended.
Obligatory silence: In a world where we are constantly bombarded with messages, marketing, incessant chatter, gossip, and TV shows, silence is a relief (and a bit strange at first!). Learning to be with silence is learning to be alone with yourself, you don’t have a distraction. It’s like free therapy!
Provides awareness: I find that halfway around the first lap of our park walk my thoughts start to slow down and I realise just how busy and overactive my mind is. I start to notice what I am thinking about. How ruminating on my past regrets or future problems keeps me from enjoying and loving the present moment. I am able to remind myself that the world is much bigger than me.
Unlinks movement from weight-loss: When I first started walking around the park I noticed that most people are walking for a specific purpose (and it’s usually health related). Walking meditation doesn’t have a purpose; it’s not trying to burn calories or achieve your 10,000 daily steps — walking meditation isn’t about ‘doing’ it’s about ‘being’.
Conscious living: When you start to appreciate your weekly walks you start to value and respect the entire living world. You become a more conscious consumer, you care about living slow, consuming less, and providing for future generations (even if you don’t plan to have kids).
Appreciation of nature: The slow pace means you are able to notice the little things; leaves falling, birds singing in their nests, dappled sunlight cast on trees; there is so much beauty around us and when we slow down, we open our eyes to it all.
Presence: Walking slowly brings you back to the present moment. The present moment is the secret to peace, joy and relaxation and who doesn’t want that?
Connection to intuition: As mentioned, when you find the time to be silent and slow and present, your mind starts to quieten. It is much easier to hear that quiet voice within; to connect to your truth, deepen inner knowing and to ultimately trust in yourself.
Each mindful step reminds us that we are alive on this beautiful planet. We don’t need anything else. It is wonderful enough just to be alive, to breathe in, and to make one step. - Thich Nhat Hanh
I’ve been hosting walking meditations in my home city of Perth for over a year now and I thoroughly encourage you to start you own! If you’d like to join the one in Perth, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram for the details.
Happy meditating and warm hugs,
Madalin x
i love walking <3 never tried to meditate during. seems like it would be a great practice