Walking Meditation: Mati’s Step-by-Step

Caveat: please pay attention to your surroundings, nobody needs to accidentally step in front of a bus because they’re doing this.

This particular technique should be labeled as probably a quasi-meditative practice or pseudomeditation as real meditation is dependent on shutting down sensory input

As I’m getting my health back in order for my return to Colorado, I’m returning back to my old meditative practices as well as doing more Tai Chi...

Keep in mind: once you’ve reached a certain level of mental and spiritual discipline in this, it becomes simple or like a second or third nature to drop your consciousness to a meditative or trancelike state. The mind and brain are like a muscle here - the more you use it, the easier it becomes. It’s not easy though, especially if you’re a restless soul like myself.

As I’m going for my walks whether it’s recreational or doing errands, here’s what I do:

1: I loosen up my diaphragm before I walk with deep gut breathing.
2: beginning the walk I like to listen to and focus natural sensory input - birds chirping, the smell of cut grass or fallen leaves, the UV on my skin (more skin exposure to the sun the better, I love doing this shirtless)
3: once my mind is partially cleared that way, I’ll readjust the pace to my walk to accommodate the counting without getting too lightheaded
4: I inhale through my nose, deep in to my gut for seven steps
5: hold for two steps
6: completely exhale through the mouth for five seconds
7: hold for one second,
8: repeat step 4-7...

As I’m doing this after some time, it generally takes at least 10-15 minutes for me to “get there”, I’ll begin to notice my visual field start to lighten up a bit - i feel like I can see more and also my hearing becomes much more acute which feeds back into my awareness and lack of concern for my surroundings (cars, other pedestrians, etc ). My shoulders will relax and it becomes much easier for me to stand up straight which is good due to my postural issues. I’ll notice my circulation increase and the veins in my arms becoming more bloated with oxygen. My heart will actually calm down a bit and the beats will become much more regulated which helps with my anxiety. I’ll also notice patterns across the grass, in trees and the pavement become more prevalent, not too unlike when under the influence of psychedelic substances but obviously not that intense. It is similar though! My muscles in my neck and back will loosen up as well....

I highly recommend this to everyone, especially if you’re a newbie to meditation. It will probably help as you go deeper in to a true sitting meditation in a quiet place without all the sensory input...

Enjoy and have a nice day - and always remember what he dormouse said!

Feed your head.