Happy #WindDownWednesday, everyone! Welcome to the second post of Heaven in Health's first Outdoors Week. Just as any human being who exists, I have to deal with stress on a semi-frequent basis. During sometime during my high school years, I developed an anxiety disorder and it only seemed to worsen as tensions got higher when I started college. As much as I wanted to walk away from my problems at times, I had to keep moving forward. During these times I had to think of creative ways to keep my anxiety under wraps and walking happened to be one of them.
When people usually think of meditation they think of the yoga practice of sitting in full lotus position while breathing or chanting with your eyes closed. However, there are many forms of meditation described by the Buddha himself and walking is one of the main forms. Mindful walking, an adaptation of Buddhist walking meditation, is an active practice that requires you to be consciously aware of the sensation of walking while moving through the environment instead of sitting in it. It’s a simple and effective form of meditation that’s easy to get into and carries many benefits. Here are just 5 of the many benefits of mindful walking meditation.
1. It Will Help You Relax
In general, walking is great for increasing blood circulation and oxygen intake. When the pressures of life are weighing you down, mindful walking meditation is an excellent way to clear your head, focus on the present moment, and enjoy the beauty of nature. The meditation aspect can be a good natural aid in fighting anxiety. You could try to focus on a positive expression to uplift yourself while you walk or you can focus on controlled breathing to reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system.
2. It Will Help You Concentrate
Most of the time, people will choose an outdoor setting to start their walking meditation. These settings are always filled with potential distractions whether it’s the sounds of vehicles in a bustling city, the chirping of birds or crickets out in nature, or sighting bigfoot down the street from your job. Despite all of these distractions, you must stay focused purely on the sensations of walking and tune everything else out. At times, your mind may wander away from that. But over time, you’ll develop a skill for bringing your focus back to the walk itself. This translates into better overall focus in other areas in your life as well as keeping better trains of thought.
3. It’s a Good Form of Exercise
Many people overlook walking as a form of exercise. Gym memberships, exercise machines, weight lifting, running, and other high intensity activities often come to mind when we think of exercise. In actuality, any form of movement is good! Walking still burns calories, facilitates blood and oxygen flow, and you can walk for longer periods without getting tired as quickly. I think the biggest component of this benefit is the fact that walking can be a great starting point for anyone who isn’t in their best shape but would like to get in shape.
4. You’ll Be More in Tune with Your Body
During walking meditation, you have to focus on your foot placement, how you lift your legs when you walk, and all the other mechanics of walking. Focusing on the sensations of walking can help you learn more about your body. After you walk, ask yourself a few questions. Was my weight equally distributed? How was my posture? How did it feel when my left foot touched the ground? After practicing walking meditation for a while, each movement you make in life will become more deliberate and you will walk with more purpose.
5. It’s Easy to Start
If you have been blessed with the ability to walk, mindful walking meditation is a very easy thing to incorporate in your life. Most of us do a little bit of walking every day, even if it’s just to get to our cars to get to work in the morning. Even if you only have time to do it for 10 minutes a day, the benefits can be reaped. Click here for an in-depth background and guide about meditative walking in all of its forms!
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