When most people think of Meditation, they imagine a man sitting on the floor with his back erect and eyes closed, but you can also do it while walking.
The point of meditation is to counteract the neverending “useful” activities of your life with a “useless” activity. This helps to release built-up stress and quiet your over-active inner voice (assuming you have one). One danger is turning meditation into a strategy with a goal, because that converts it to a “useful” activity which may actually increase your stress (e.g. “I really should meditate for thirty minutes today but I’m too busy so I will squeeze it in between all these other activities I’m doing ahhhhhh!”).
Meditation must be a way for you to unplug with no specific outcome in mind. For me, it’s a way to push the pause button on filling my days with new achievements, plans, ideas, and work, allowing me to release myself—at least temporarily—from the treadmills of materialism, ego, and hedonism.
The best type of walkway to do walking meditation is one with no vehicle intersections. Circular paths around ponds or lakes are the most ideal. In standard meditation, you focus on your breath, but you won’t be able to concentrate on it while outdoors. Focus instead on your steps, calling each one in your head.
When your Left foot strikes the ground, say “left” or “one” to yourself. Then when your right foot strikes the ground, say “right” or “two.” “Left, right, left, right, left, right…” or “one, two, one, two, one, two…” This sounds easy, but your mind will try to sneak in thoughts and unsync your cadence. For example, you may say “left” at a time other than when your left foot actually strikes the ground. You must devote the entirety of your concentration by saying left or right at the exact moment your foot makes ground contact.
Within a couple of minutes, your mind will be mostly clear besides what you’re seeing or hearing around you, forcing you to remain in the present. If you can continue for over five minutes, and there are not many pretty girls around, you will enter a mildly hypnotic state. You can then stop calling your steps and enjoy a moment or two of bliss before your thoughts come flooding back in.
And that’s all there is to it. Pick a relatively quiet path, dedicate your full concentration to calling your steps, and starve the mind of the fuel it needs to take you away from the moment.
Read Next: What Is The Tao?
