Walking Meditation

Like many (all?) of us, there are some things I wish I had figured out a long time ago. But here I am just now getting around to learning new and life-changing habits. Walking, as both a physical and mental exercise, is one of those activities that has taken me what seems like forever to wrap my head around, but it finally is one of those indispensable things in my life. And still, it has taken me years to allow it to become a habit.

I've always liked being outdoors, but in previous lifetimes, my outdoor activities essentially boiled down to work: I have skied (in bounds and back country), backpacked, ice climbed, rock climbed, approach hiked, ran trails, mountain biked, mountain climbed and hiked, all with a destination or mileage in mind, and with the intention of "feeling it" at the end of the day. After having kids and staying at home, life slowed down, a different sort of exhaustion set in, and frankly, little kids make it damn hard to enjoy doing those things in the same way. Additionally, the dog has gotten a lot older; he's no longer able to keep up on longer, more intense outings. I've had to adjust.

As I said, it's taken me years, but I've finally reached a point when going for a simple walk is  fantastic use of my time. After these years of practice, I finally figured out that walking for me is more of a mental activity than a physical one, and thus I value it more and more. I am never plugged in (music, etc., and usually don't even carry my phone), and mostly walk with only the dog because conversation impedes my brain's ability to wander, muse, solve problems and relax. I often find it difficult to relax at home because there are so many tasks needing to be done, but out on a walk with the dog, I can leave all that behind and tackle the big conundrums.

My walking meditations are active, which is different than the more Zen Buddhist approach I've seen, in which a walking a meditation practitioner walks veeery s l o w l y and intentionally, and attempts to empty the mind. The dog and I walk on trails near my home, and my walking meditation practice is much faster (I might as well get some exercise while I'm out there), my mind full of thoughts and ideas. I've solved many of my most distressing problems while out on a walk. (And I'll be honest, I've solved a lot of problems for other people, too, but no matter how badly I sometimes want to, I won't be telling them I've got it all figured out; they need to do that on their own. Maybe they should start walking!)

There's also the obvious enjoyment of noticing and participating in the beautiful weather, the changing seasons, the amazing views where we live, the New Mexico sunshine, and discovering the little things like shadows and the footprints of other animals also out on a walk (bird, bunny, and dog above).

And if anyone needs another reason to walk... here are a few more:

See you soon– out on a walk!