Embrace Walking Meditation to Double your Health Benefits

Embrace Walking Meditation to double your health benefits already know that walking provides a measured health benefit for your physical self. It offers cardiovascular benefits, helps you burn calories and improves blood flow to different parts of your body.

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But what you may not have considered is combining your walking time with a mental and spiritual meditation program to increase the benefits that you have to offer. Usually, when most people go for a walk, they do it because it is a form of exercise that minimizes injuries and is not complicated to learn.

No special tools are needed. You simply put one foot in front of the other and you are immediately on your way to better health. But combine this with meditation or mindful walking and you get more out of your time spent on entering the pavement.

Walking meditation is when you do not run thoughtlessly, but instead, focus on each step. You do not have to increase your speed, and in fact, you may walk even slower than normal until you meditate while walking.

When you concentrate on your walking, make mental notes of how light or heavy your foot feels when it comes off the ground and returns to the sidewalk after each step. Walking meditation is rooted in the art of Ayatana, a Buddhist concept where you have contact with your senses.

When you use walking meditation, you focus on experiencing walking, keeping your thoughts focused, not on the problems of your day, but on the process you use – the details of each step you take with your right foot and then left foot.

Traditional meditation often allows the person to close his eyes to concentrate on his mental clarity. With walking meditation you have to see where you are going, so you absorb your outdoor environment and process it with mental clarity.

It is best to do your walking meditation in an area that feels calm and inviting, not exactly in the middle of a construction site in the center. Try to walk your walk for at least 20 minutes at a time.

Start walking with a god-posture and focus on the sensations that your feet feel. Lower your arms and hold your focal point about 3-6 feet in front of you as you walk.

Walking yourself will help your body in various ways, including delivering more serotonin to improve your mood. Add meditation to the mix and you have an even more powerful training program that improves both your mind and your body.