Walking meditation - is there one?

[SteveCable]

I have been maintaining good healthy daily meditations for some time. I also love to walk with my dog.

Are there any walking meditations or processes anyone can recommend. Do they even exist? Note that I walking in the country on paths not through towns, near cars etc

I would appreciate your help . Thanks!

[JonW]

Hi Steve,
Try this, a simple one that I devised:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and balance your weight evenly on both feet. Bring your attention to the feeling of your feet being supported by the ground. Allow yourself a few moments to settle and feel connected with the ground, wherever you are standing.
And then bring your attention to your breathing. Notice the in breath, the out breath and the brief gaps between breaths.
Whether you are indoors or outdoors, get a sense of your surroundings and, without naming the feeling if you can help it, get a sense of your present moment experience. As if you are taking the temperature on your mood, what you are feeling right now.
Remind yourself that you’re going to be walking more slowly than usual, taking easy steps, aiming to be present and alert with every step, paying close attention to what is happening in your body, from moment to moment.
So often we walk from point A to point B simply to reach our destination. In this meditation, the invitation is to gently let go of the idea of getting somewhere. Rather than get lost in thoughts of what is going to happen next, can you notice, step by step, what you are experiencing right now, in this moment?
Notice your feet touching the ground and allow your weight to distribute itself evenly so that you feel balanced, connected with the ground.
As you take your first steps, notice the sensations as you lift your foot off the ground.
And notice the sensations as you carefully place your foot down. As you take each step, perhaps be aware of all the tiny movements and adjustments you need to make in order to maintain your balance.
As your foot touches the ground, pause for a moment and notice how it feels when your entire foot and all your toes are stretched out on the ground. Bring awareness to all the different sensations in your feet, not just a contact in the soles of your feet but the contact between the toes and the contact of your toes with the fabric of your socks.
Bring your attention to your ankles as you take each step. Take one step and pause. Notice how your ankles feel immediately after the step as you stand motionless for a moment.
This is a good time to check in on your walking pace. Speed up a little, then slow down. As you do so, gauge the pace that keeps you most mindful, that keeps you in the moment.
As you walk, bring your attention to your
lower legs – your shins and your calves. Notice what the calf muscles are doing as you’re walking. Bring your attention to your knees. Your left knee. Your right knee. Your knee joints.
If you notice that your mind has wandered, no problem. Simply acknowledge that you have become lost in your thoughts and gently bring your attention back to the sensations of lifting and stepping, and any sensations you notice in your knees right now.
Then shift your attention to your thighs. Being aware of the muscles, and noticing what the muscles on the fronts of the thighs are doing, and what the muscles on the backs of the thighs are doing.
Bring your attention to your hips. And the muscles around your hip joints. Notice perhaps how, as you walk, how one hip moves forward and the other slightly dips. See if that’s true for you.
As you walk, notice your belly, how it contracts with the in breath and expands with the out breath.
Bring your attention to any sensations in your chest.
Noticing your shoulders and how they naturally fall in with the rhythm of your steps.
Bring your attention to the motions in your arms – your upper arms, your elbows, your forearms, your wrists, your hands.
As you walk, swing your arms in the air for a few moments and notice how that feels, particularly in your hands.
Notice how the sensations in your hands and arms change as you walk slightly faster. Then slow down again.
Become aware of your neck. Notice the angle of your head.
As you walk, notice how your lower jaw is set. Is it clenched? Taut? Or does it feel soft? Relaxed?
Just noticing how your lower jaw feels right now, in this moment.
Allowing the lower jaw to drop down slightly, and noticing any changes in sensations in the muscles of the face and neck, or in other parts of the body, which that small movement may create.
Then moving to the eyes. Noticing for a moment or two how your eyes feel right now. Do they feel tired or awake? Wet or dry?
Notice any sensations around the eyebrows. The eyelashes. The eyelids. The pupils.
Then, coming back to the feet, noticing any sensations as each as foot lifts from the ground, then lands again.
Then, as you come to a halt, once again allow yourself a few moments to settle and feel connected with the ground, wherever you are standing. Bring your attention to your breathing. Notice the in breath, the out breath and the brief gaps between breaths.
As you come to the end of this practice, tune into a sense of how you are right now. Allow yourself to be with your experience now, just as it is, resisting the urge to wish it away or wish it were different. Just this moment, being experienced right now.