When you hear or read the term ‘meditation’, what images do you see? Do you see an individual sitting calmly on their yoga mat, with that blissful expression on their face, probably in a well-lit room or perhaps in nature? Well, that’s the common image that we have for meditation. But, have you wondered if walking meditation is a possibility? Interestingly, walking meditation is possible.
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Benefits of walking meditation
Joe Dispenza in his book Becoming Supernatural explains the benefits of walking meditation. He states that the purpose of walking and standing meditation is to make you mindful and rooted in the present moment. Walking meditation also helps in maintaining and sustaining these elevated states throughout the day. In addition, this variation of meditation also helps in being connected to the future by aiding creative visualization and helps you become your ideal self, or your future self.
Walking meditation as a process of creative visualization naturally upgrades your neural circuitry by creating a new inward experience. Such new experiences help in memory formation and improve the functioning of the brain. Feeling the emotions of your future, in the present moment, and combining them with your intention for intentions for the future results in two things:
- It installs new circuits to make your brain imitate the future
- It produces the chemicals to facilitate future events, thereby signalling new genes in new ways, preparing your body for a new destiny.
Since this spiritual practice is also a physical practice, it bestows benefits for the body such as improved blood flow, blood sugar levels and circulation, digestion, and sleep quality. It also alleviates stress, depression, and anxiety and enhances well-being and holistic balance.
Instructions for Walking Meditation
To start with, it is advisable to find a quiet place, preferably in nature so that you are not easily distracted. It would also be easier for you to focus if there were fewer people and less activity around you. However, with practice, you will be able to practice this anywhere in public. Begin by standing still, closing your eyes, and resting your attention on your heart. Slow down your breath and breathe in and out of this centre. When you feel heart-centred, just as you do in your seated meditations, begin cultivating elevated emotions that connect you to your future or the desired state you want to be in.
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When you feel fully grounded in your elevated emotions, take a few minutes to open your awareness and radiate that energy outside your body until you are aware of it both inside and outside of yourself. Next, lay upon the energy of these elevated emotions the intent of what you want for your day or your future, whether it is to get a new job, relationship, abundance, to lead a noble life, make a difference in the world, create a new job or relationship, or something else. As you continue to stand with your eyes closed, keep your focus open and take your attention off of the outer world.
When you do this, your brain waves would slow down from beta to alpha states, thereby calming down all the mental chatter. As a result, you enter a trance state, where you are more suggestible. When you’re in an emotional state that is in alignment with your future, you are more likely to accept, believe, and surrender to the intentional thoughts and the emotions related to it. This implies that you can program your autonomic nervous system to construct the biology of your new future and produce ideas, visions, sights, and images that can transcend the analytical mind.
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At this point, slowly open your eyes and begin walking, with the energy of your future self. At this stage, do not look at anyone or pay attention to objects or things, or anything else around you. Keep your focus open and remain in a trance. The more you’re in trance, the less likely you’ll be to think in old, familiar ways. In this stage, your mind will connect to the images of your new future instead of playing back programs from the past. You are ready to embody your new future identity. Adjust your breathing, posture, pace, stride, and movements, to look like your future self. Perhaps, you could also choose to wear a smile on your face.
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You may have to imagine what walking as a wealthy person feels like by modelling a wealthy person. You may have to wake in the posture of a fearless person walk in the elevated energy of your future physique, or walk as a kind, accepting, and loving person. In other words, you are actively becoming the person you have always imagined yourself to be – You are walking in the shoes of your future self. Once you start naturally feeling and embodying these elevated emotions, they will inhabit you, and you will become the person you want to be.
In conclusion, walking meditation is a holistic activity that has direct and indirect benefits for all aspects of an individual’s life. In addition, it helps in closing the gap between an individual’s real self and ideal self, or their present self and future self.
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References +
- Cronkleton, E. (2020, April 1). The benefits of meditation walks. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/walking-meditation
- Dispenza, J. (2017). Becoming supernatural: How common people are doing the uncommon, 1st ed. Hay House.
- Sutton, J., PhD. (2023, September 22). Mindful Walking & Walking Meditation: a restorative practice. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/mindful-walking/
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