This brief walking meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn invites you to fully engage with each step through mindful awareness.
Walking meditation focuses on the experience of each step rather than reaching a destination. It’s about being fully present in your current location, not aiming for the next step. Your awareness continuously arrives in the present moment, allowing you to enjoy the day.
You are not aiming to reach a destination, but rather to continually be present in the moment.
Through walking, we engage our bodies differently than when sitting or lying down. We can concentrate on our feet, feeling their connection with the ground with each step.
Walking is essentially a process of controlled falling forward, which is something we took time to master and often overlook, forgetting its inherent beauty. If our minds wander during walking meditation, which is normal, we simply acknowledge where our thoughts have drifted and gently return our attention to this moment, this breath, and this step.
Distance: How Long Should I Walk?
Since the goal isn’t to get anywhere, it’s effective to limit distractions by walking slowly back and forth in a small space. A lane doesn’t need to be lengthy; walking ten paces one way and then back is sufficient. Remember, this isn’t about exploring your surroundings. Keep your gaze soft and directed slightly ahead; there’s no need to focus on your feet, as they instinctively know where to go while your awareness remains attuned to each phase of the step cycle.
Speed: How Fast Should I Walk?
Walking meditation can be done at various paces, making it versatile for daily life. You can transition from walking to mindful running, which is a beneficial practice too. While engaging in mindful walking as part of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, we practice at a very slow pace to help curb our urge to rush. This slow approach enhances our sensitivity to the sensory aspects of the walking experience and deepens our connection to our movements and breath, as well as our mental state.
If you’re interested in trying walking meditation, you can follow the guided practice by Jon Kabat-Zinn below.
A Guided Walking Meditation to Help You Savor the Day
This content is adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 3, which you can find here. These meditations are intended to accompany Kabat-Zinn’s book Falling Awake and the accompanying collections derived from Coming to Our Senses.
Everyday Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn
At the inception of MBSR, Jon Kabat-Zinn acted on his passion and the belief that great things would follow. He recently discussed his new MasterClass with Mindful, sharing his thoughts on mindfulness and meditation.
Read More
Take Your Mind for a Walk
Meditation can feel overwhelming, almost like a chore. Yet, with a slight change in perspective, it can simply be as enjoyable as walking the dog.
Read More 