Walk therapy
Don’t worry, just take a step
Feeling wound up, stressed out, exhausted?
Try taking a walk. Not just any walk, though. Take a walking meditation to help redirect your mind.
Go ahead. It might make you feel better, and give you a fresh perspective. So says Michelle DuVal, director of The Mindful Center in Albuquerque.
While some people think that meditation means zoning out with your eyes closed, DuVal explains that in a walking meditation, “we’re trying to let go of thoughts by experiencing just what it feels like to walk.”
And, it doesn’t have to take a chunk of time out of your day. Here are some tips from DuVal on making that walk happen and how to focus on walking alone:
The trickiest part can be remembering to take the walk. One way to encourage walking meditation is to use sticky notes on your car’s dashboard and on your computer at work or somewhere you’ll be sure to see it so that it becomes a habit. Simply write, “walking meditation.”
Try an informal walking meditation from the front of the house to the back of the house. Or at work, as you walk into a meeting. These meditative walks can take place any time you’re walking.
As you walk, feel the lift. Feel the step. Then, feel the transfer of balance.
“We do that when the mind is going so strong,” DuVal says. “Just simplifying the walk in those three steps can have a calming effect.”
Formal walking meditation might be a 10- to 30-minute walk. For some people, meditating while sitting for that length of time is uncomfortable due to back pain.
“To be able to walk and meditate is a great way to practice meditation,” she says.
And, no friends along on this walk — not even four-legged friends. No chatting or texting on the phone, no getting the heart rate up. In short, no multitasking. The only thing you should pay attention to is your walking.
“Really just simplify your life into the very singular experience of what it feels like just to walk,” DuVal says.
DuVal holds meditation retreats that include the walking aspect, as well as other methods of meditation. Find information at themindfulcenter.com.