Walking Meditation
The Way to Practice Walking Mindfulness Meditation
Walking Meditation:
When people talk about meditation they often have a mental picture of a yogi sitting in the lotus position, perhaps in a cave or under a tree. However, the Buddha's discourse on mindfulness (the Satipatthana Sutta) teaches to be mindful during all activities. Those all aspect of life are being trained and established in four fold postures of life. Those are: 1. Sitting Mindfulness meditation 2. Walking Mindfulness Meditation 3. Standing Mindfulness Meditation and 4. Lying Down Mindfulness Meditation. Insight or enlightenment can equally well arise in other positions.
One who trains in Mindfulness Practice, concentrates on mostly sitting and walking practices for cultivating the awareness of the present mode. Those who sit down for a while in crossed legs, would certainly benefit to get some comfort and quick concentration by practicing walking mediation for at least few minutes.
There are lots of facts sciencetifically to prove that walking meditation brings lots of advantages for mindfulness practice.
The way to practice walking meditation:
It is useful to find an even pathway of approximately 20 long for this practice of Walking Mindfulness. If it is difficult to find such path way, walking in a circle would help. Walk back and forth between two points or circular way. Walk extremely slowly at the beginning but then develop gradually into medium speed such as not too slow or not too past. Noting each part of the step: lifting the foot, moving forward, dropping the foot, pressing the foot down. Do not look at the feet or around here and there. Gaze at a point about 6 feet in front of the feet. Keeping the head erect but eyes downcast. Let the hands hang together in front of or behind the body. On reaching the end of the walking path note as: stopping, turning, turning, standing, and intending to walk. Then continue noting lifting, moving, dropping, pressing as before. Do not make any movement without mindfulness.
1. A Simple Way of Practicing: Walking Meditation:
1. Take the walking meditation seriously. By merely doing the walking meditation alone, it is possible to attain complete awareness (Arahantship = enlightenment).
1. Being this practice by bring your attention to the foot. Then note step part by part as you follow the movements with sharp attention. Mentally noting 'right, left' as you do the steps while walking.
2. Keep the eyes half-closed and fixed on the ground 4-5 feet ahead of you. Avoid looking at the foot during the walking, or you will become distracted by it.
3. Do not let the head bend too low, because this will very quickly create strain and tension in your posture.
4. The objects to be noted are increased gradually. That is, the number of parts of the steps observed are gradually increased. At the beginning of a walking meditation period note one part only for about 10 minutes: 'left, right' and so on. Then note your walking in 3 parts: 'lifting, pushing, dropping' etc. Finally increase the noting to 'intending, lifting, pushing, dropping, touching, pressing'.
5. Please consider this. The mind is sure to wander off quite a few times during a walking period of one hour. So do not look around here and there during walking meditation. You have had, and you will have many more years to look around. If you do it during the retreat, you can forget about having concentration. The wandering eye is a difficult problem for the meditator. So take not very mindfully of the desire to look around.
6. For the practice to be effective, at least 6 hours of walking and 6 hours of sitting meditation each day is recommended. (In a retreat or at least 1 hour each every day normal)
Benefits of Walking Meditation:
Walking meditation has many benefits and is in no way inferior to sitting meditation. Sitting may be better for tranquillity but excessive calm is a fertile ground for sloth and torpor (sleepiness). Walking arouses energy and keen mindfulness. The best to alternate the two, walking and sitting.
(to be continued.... please visit us later... Thank you.)