We appreciate your interest in today's Meditation
Life Skills podcast. We're sincerely grateful
for your support. This is a mindful walking practice
for us to practice at home in a quiet room where
we have a little space to walk around or perhaps
outside if we have some quiet outside space.
And it can help us to more fully notice sensations
of walking, if it's possible to remove our shoes.
So if possible, starting by removing our shoes,
if this is okay for you. And then finding a place
to stand. Standing with the feet about a hip
-width apart, with each foot firmly grounded
and planted on the floor. Standing upright and
straight. but not stiffly, and allowing our arms
to hang loosely from our shoulders, allowing
our shoulders to drop and our head to remain
upright, supported by our neck. Bringing awareness
to our body in this moment, what sensations are
around right now? Allowing the breath to breathe
itself in the background, whilst directing our
awareness to our feet. and the contact between
the soles of our feet and the floor beneath.
What sensations are in this part of our body
right now? And then, bringing our awareness up
our legs, into our hips, pelvis, into our back
and abdomen and chest, our arms, shoulders and
head. And just standing. Starting now by gently
bending our knees just slightly and then straightening
our knees a couple of times. So bending and straightening.
And when we do this, noticing sensations in our
legs, in our feet, in our upper body. What happens
in our body as we bend and straighten our knees?
Perhaps noticing changes in the muscles as we
move, tightening and loosening. Noticing changes
in our sense of balance. And now, with the knees
straight and feet firmly planted on the floor,
starting by gently moving our body forward towards
the toes. Keeping our feet on the floor. What's
happening in the soles of our feet as we shift
our body weight forward towards the toes? Noting
changes to muscles in the legs and the back.
Now bring our body weight back to the centre.
And then shifting our body weight gently backwards
towards our heels, keeping our feet firmly planted
on the floor. And noticing sensations in our
body as we shift our weight. Sensations in our
feet, our legs, our back. And coming back to
the centre once again. And whilst keeping our
feet on the floor, shifting our body to our left
foot. What do we notice in our body? Now shifting
our body to our right foot. What do we notice
in our legs? In our right leg, our left leg as
we do this. Then returning to the centre with
our weight evenly distributed between our left
and right legs and between the front and the
back of our body. And now with the next in -breath
slowly beginning to move the right heel upwards.
keeping our right toes in contact with the floor.
Bring our full awareness to any sensations in
our body, in our feet, in our legs. And now lifting
our right foot off the floor, moving it slowly
forward and, with an out -breath, placing the
right heel down on the floor. What's happening
in the body right now? And now allowing the right
toes to move down to the floor whilst at the
same time bringing the left heel up with an in
-breath. Noting the contact between the soles
of our feet and the floor. Between our heel and
the air. The sensations of movement. And now
with the right foot firmly planted on the floor
lifting the left foot slowly up and forward and
with an out -breath placing the left heel down
in front of us allowing the toes to follow whilst
the heel of the right foot begins to lift with
the next in -breath and repeating this movement
slowly and bringing our curiosity and interest
to each sensation that we notice, each small
movement. Bringing the heel of one foot up with
an in -breath. Bringing a heel down with an out
-breath. And now, beginning to walk slowly around
the area you are in. in this way keeping our
awareness in our body noticing sensations in
the soles of our feet as we walk noticing sensations
in our legs what's happening in our legs in our
muscles our bones the contact between our skin
and the clothes we're wearing as we move, what's
happening in our back and shoulders, our arms
and head. and bringing our full interest and
curiosity to each new step remembering that each
step we're walking for the very first time synchronizing
as best we can the in -breath as we lift the
foot up and the out -breath as we place a foot
down. Walking in this way, paying attention to
walking. And if the space allows, where you are,
practicing changing the speed of the walk perhaps
walking a little more quickly practicing making
slower movements and all the while Bringing our
interest and attention to the sensations in our
body as we walk. And now with the next step,
coming to stand. And again, bring the feet parallel
or hip widths apart. Just gently rocking on the
feet, forward and backwards, from left to right.
before bringing our body back to the centre.
Standing. And allowing the arms to hang loosely
from the shoulders. And just as we bring this
practice to a close, bringing awareness to the
whole of the body. Awareness of the breath in
the background, breathing. Just taking a few
moments to settle. before bringing this practice
to a close and knowing that we can bring mindfulness
to walking in other parts of our day.