You have almost certainly heard that breaks are important when studying. We have all gotten to the place where, after a decent amount of time in front of a textbook or a computer, our brain feels like it has gone to bed for the night. It is at these moments (or hopefully before them) that a break is more than necessary.
While there are many ways to take a minute for yourself, I would like to offer a practice that I have found to be quite rejuvenating: walking meditation.
What is Walking Meditation?
Many think of meditation as being a practice where you sit cross-legged on the ground, close your eyes, and breathe. While this is one form of meditation, there are others that are not spoken about as often. Walking meditation can be particularly beneficial when you are feeling jittery or out of sorts. The beauty of walking meditation is that it helps to bring your mind back into your body. The breath is the vessel that accomplishes this. Very simply, this form of meditation involves coordinating your breath with your steps, saying a short phrase with each step of the in-breath and each step of the out-breath.
How to do Walking Meditation
As you are taking each step, focus on your breath, feeling your feet touching the earth and listening to and looking at the world around you. Notice the steps you are taking when breathing in and the steps you are taking when breathing out. You can even imagine that with each step, the earth is giving your feet a hug. Know that there is nothing to do and nowhere to go, and enjoy the journey in the here and the now. Your mind will inevitably dart from thought to thought, which is okay. When you notice that happening, gently bring your focus back to your in and out breath. Do not try to control your breath - just allow your body to breathe naturally and simply be aware of your in and out breath. Here are a few things you can do along with this:
- With each step you take as you are breathing in, you can say “in, in, in” and with each step you take as you are breathing out, you can say “out, out, out.” This helps to bring your breath back to your body.
- As you are breathing in, you can say “I have arrived,” and as you are breathing out, you can say “I am home.” The idea here is that no matter where you are in the world, you are always at home, because you can always take refuge in yourself and the people and environment around you.
- With each step you take as you are breathing in, you can say “Yes, yes, yes,” meaning, “Yes, I wholeheartedly accept the beauty of life and the world,” and with each step you take as you are breathing out, you can say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” meaning, “Thank you, world, for the beauty of this life.”
Conclusion
Walking meditation is a simple practice that can be very healing. You can do it for three minutes or thirty, inside or outside - whatever your schedule allows for. There is no such thing as being “good” or “bad” at meditation - like anything else, it is a muscle that you can work on training. The key to walking meditation is to not get too caught up in your expectations of the practice, and just simply be in the moment. Your mind will be like a monkey swinging from branch to branch darting in all kinds of directions, and that is just fine. Gently bring it back to your breath each time.
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