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Meditation Walk! Learn about its Benefits, Ways of Practice, and More!

- We live in a fast-paced atmosphere where we
are always dealing with personal and professional chores/worries. We have
become so accustomed to all this that somewhere down the line, we have lost touch
with reality.
- This is where meditation comes into play!
- While sitting, meditation is practiced
excessively across the globe for focusing your mind on redirecting your
thoughts on your inner self and surroundings, it becomes challenging for some
to continue for long in the sitting position.
- That is why walking meditation is becoming
increasingly popular. With its origins in Buddhism, this technique helps you
feel more balanced, grounded, and serene.
Defining a Walking Meditation Practice
- Walking meditation is designed in such a
way that it helps in syncing our mind and body while we are on the move. This
typically includes walking back and forth in a labyrinth/straight line or in a
circle.
- The pace at which you walk is usually slow
and depends on the particular technique you use. Most of the time,
practitioners opt for a walking meditation between long periods of seated
meditation sessions.
The Biggest Challenge- The Auto-Pilot Mode
- The biggest challenge faced by people when
starting out with a walking meditation is going in the auto-pilot mode.
- This includes going in the usual mode of
walking that is filled with thoughts of planning, remembering, worrying,
dwelling, analyzing, and more.
- So, every time this happens, the mind finds
it hard to connect with the surroundings and inner self, forgetting to
appreciate the simple walking pleasure.
Walking Meditation Types
- Kinhin: In this, while walking at the
same tempo of the breath, a person focuses his attention on all the aspects of
the posture.
- Theravada: In this, a person walks
forward and backward in line with a path that is 30-40 feet in length and
maintains a changing and specific attention focus throughout.
- Vipassana: This walking meditation type
is more of a self-exploratory journey that is observation-based and focuses on
deep body and mind interconnection through the realization of physical
sensations around.
The Walking Meditation Technique
- Place: Choose a place for walking that is low on distraction levels.
- Body: As you start walking, notice the way
your body feels; relaxed/stiff, light/heavy and become aware of the same.
- Observe: Observe your gait without changing
the way you are moving.
- Tune In: Just acknowledge the things around
you without thinking about any one of them.
- Sound: Similar to what you can see,
acknowledge what you can hear without dwelling on it.
- Smell: Now you need to focus on the smell,
unpleasant or pleasant without allowing your mind to go into any past
occurrence related to that smell!
- Physical Sensations: Next is the time to
acknowledge the physical sensations like feelings about the weather or the
moment your foot touches the ground.
- Movement: Contemplate the body movement’s
sensations: the way arms swing/hang, weight shifts from one corner to another,
and your pace/stride.
- Rhythm: As your awareness base, use the
rhythm of your soles feeling the ground to come back mentally when your mind
starts to wander off. Keep repeating all these steps throughout your walk.
Top Meditation Walk Benefits Explained
- Blood Flow Boost: When you walk while meditating, it directly affects your blood flow and gets it to start moving, improving blood circulation in the body eventually, explains a top physician.
- Digestion Improvement: When you walk, it
helps in moving the food through the digestive tract, helping you prevent
constipation, thereby improving your digestion.
- Anxiety Reduction: Meditation, combined
with walking, has proved to be highly effective in reducing anxiety amongst
individuals. This includes meditation after walking, meditation before walking,
and meditation while walking.
- Improved Blood Sugar Levels: As per a
2016 study, walking meditation had a positive effect on the blood circulation
and sugar levels amongst individuals with type 2 diabetes.
- Depression Alleviation: Especially in the
elderly, regular exercise is a must to keep fitness and mood intact. As per a
2014 study, elderly who practiced walking meditation 3 times/week for 12 weeks
witnessed fewer depression symptoms.
- Enhanced Well-Being: A 2018 study revealed
that individuals who walked for at least fifteen minutes in the bamboo forest
showed improvements to their blood pressure, anxiety levels, and mood, leading
to enhanced well-being eventually.
- Improved Sleep Quality: With walking
meditation, our mind comes down to peace, and our body experiences improved
flexibility and reduced muscle tension, helping us in sleeping well.
- Alleviated Exercise Fun: Yes, by
incorporating the use of mindfulness into your fitness routine like walking,
you can make it even more exciting and fun, along with reaping the associated
benefits.
- Creativity Boost: A 2015 research
revealed that walking meditation brings more focus and clarity to one’s thought
patterns, leading to a creativity boost. Apart from this, a person’s
problem-solving skills creatively also get enhanced.
- Improved Balance: Another 2019 study
revealed elderly women’s balance was greatly improved by practicing walking
meditation, along with boosting ankle awareness/coordination.
Conclusion
- Without any doubt, walking meditation has
numerous benefits, and one should incorporate its use in daily life. It not
only helps you in maintaining high fitness levels but also aids in relaxing the
mind for better focus and visibility into life.
- Individuals of every age can benefit from
this type of meditation, especially elderly who are able to make a lot of
improvements in their health systems.
- People in the old age should look for
natural remedies for maintaining their health, and for problems where natural remedies
do not work; one has the option of consulting an efficient primary care provider.
- If you are looking for one to treat any type of health ailment of an elderly person in your home or neighborhood, you may contact the team of experts at Central Valley Medical Providers.
- For knowing about our services in detail, feel free to get in touch with our Customer Service Department at (877) 216-4215/local: 559.450.6334.
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