Ask anyone what they imagine meditation looks like and they will describe someone sitting, probably in full lotus, with their eyes closed, their hands in a mudra and a smile on their lips.
But there is an alternative, an alternative which also helps you get a bit of sunlight and burn off a few calories. Multitasking meditation techniques, how very modern sounding! It is, in fact, very simple. A walking meditation.
And now the clocks have turned back, the nights are drawing in and some of us are feeling the call of hibernation like it’s being heralded by the sirens armed with a big duvet, a pile of DVDs and a large stash of strawberry haagen dazs (all right, that’s me), getting out in the daylight does us the power of good.
Meditation is tough stuff. Certainly the seated stuff challenges us fidgets. A walking mediation can come easier, and you’ll get a good walk if nothing else. So worth trying, isn’t it.
In these last days of Autumn where the leaves cling to the branches in that last gasp of golden glory it is almost as if we are on the tipping point of Winter coming, dancing on a rim where we weave around on the brink of two seasons as the winds warm one day, chill the next, Mists and heavy dews one day, icy car screens the next.. And so it is with mediation; one wanders in and out like a dancing leaf, like a waning season…
So a walking meditation, want to give it a go?
Find yourself a well-known walk away from having to cross traffic, glaring advertising hoardings and similar distractions. A nice park, a pleasant river walkway, a beautiful country lane…
Firstly, stand still and centre yourself. Feel your heart centred over your pelvis. Feel your feas well balanced and your shoulders down and chest broad. Feel the air of your skin, your breath slow and steady. Now, set off, taking slow, deliberate steps and practice being in the moment. Feel your feet in your shoes as you take each step, focus on relaxing your ankles, your hips, let your shoulder blades draw down your spine as you lift up your chest and breathe deeply. Focus on your breath. As thoughts pop into your mind, sweep them away, like leaves being blown off down your road. If you find ourself thinking, don’t give up, smile and let the thoughts go and go back to being in the moment. With the weather, with the tress, with the land about you…
After 20 minutes you are done and congratulations; 20 minutes’ meditation is no mean feat. How do you feel? Do let me know if you enjoy this as much as I do.
My Yoga Life Today 