[SOFT MUSIC]

Welcome to the special meditation from Verywell Mind, one of the largest and most trusted mental health and wellness sites online. If you’d like to set an intention for your practice or something you hope to achieve during the session, feel free to do so now.

Let’s begin.

Let’s begin by finding a safe place to practice walking meditation. It may be helpful to walk in an environment that is fairly quiet, but quietness is not a requirement. Some people prefer to walk on paths in nature, while others find it quite OK to walk in the city or in their neighborhoods.

Once you’ve found a location of your choice to practice, gain a clear idea around where you’d like to walk. Deciding your walking route ahead of time limits the amount of thinking during your practice. When you have your route figured out, decide the speed that you will walk: slow, natural, or swifter.

Now, bring to mind your intention for practicing. What kind of attitude do you want to have as you’re walking?

Let the body become still and upright. Feel your body standing on the ground. Notice the physical sensations of your feet and your shoes and the firmness of the ground under you. Allow your hair to be slightly raised and let your shoulders rest naturally. Feel the movement of your breath flowing in and out.

To find your balance, you can lean slightly to your right, putting a little pressure onto your right foot. And then lean to the left side, putting a little pressure onto your left side of the body. Now, return your body to the center and find your balance.

We are now going to begin our moving practice. For the first part of this practice, we are going to pay close attention to the lifting and placing of the foot back on the ground. Begin by shifting the weight of your body onto your left foot and take your first step with your right foot, feeling the right foot lift off of the ground and feeling it land back on the earth. Allow the same movement with your left foot to naturally happen, lifting off of the ground and feeling it land back on the earth. Continue with this way of walking for a few moments.

Once you’ve found a natural pace, become aware of the cycle of the right foot lifting off of the ground and begin to sense the heel of your right foot touching the ground first, followed by the ball of your foot touching the earth. And notice your left foot lifting off of the ground. Sense the heel of your left foot touching the ground first, followed by the ball of your foot touching the ground. Notice this natural pattern: the foot lifting, the leg shifting, heel and ball of the foot landing on the ground. An easy way to remember this pattern is lifting, shifting, placing. Let your attention rest on this motion for a few moments.

If your attention begins to wander away from the body, it’s not a problem. Gently acknowledge that your attention has shifted and kindly return your attention back to the step that you were taking.

Some people find it helpful to add mental noting as a part of their practice, especially when they feel disturbed or stressed. One form of mental noting is saying a short phrase to oneself as you are walking to bring yourself back to the present moment. Let’s try using the phrase “I am home.” When your right foot touches the ground, whisper to yourself, “I am home.” And when your left foot touches the ground, repeat “I am home.”

Using this phrase may feel a little unnatural at first, and that’s OK. Let’s try it out and see if it works for you. And if it doesn’t work, you can always shift back to lifting, shifting, placing. Taking a step, we note “I am home.” Taking another step, we note “I am home.” Repeat this for a few moments.

As we begin to conclude our practice, allow your body to gradually come to stillness. Become aware of any sensations in the body. Notice any signs of fatigue or tightness in the body. Is the mind active or settled?

Check in with your breath and thank yourself for practicing mindful walking.