Mindfulness/meditation of the week:

Walking Meditation (Source)

For this meditation, find a quiet place indoors where there is space to walk in small circles, or choose a path or quiet open space outdoors.

We’ll begin standing. Close your eyes with your feet hips width distance apart, and your arms hanging loose by your sides.

Wherever you are, root your feet to the ground, and feel the opposing energy that transfers

from the earth, up through your spine and out through the crown of your head.

Notice how the more you press down into the earth, the taller you feel

Let breath awareness guide your attention in towards your body. Focus on the connection

between your feet and the ground, and sensation in your legs and low body.

Spend a few cycles of breath here, simply noticing what is.

Where the body is. How the body feels.

With your eyes still closed, slowly shift back and forth a few times from your heels to the balls of your feet.

Notice what arises in your awareness with this small movement.

Then return to neutral, get centered. And shift side to side. Just a small sway of your weight

from the right foot to the left, back and forth.

Or from the outer edge of the foot towards the inner arches.

Notice what arises in your awareness with this small movement.

Come back to center, and focus your energy again on noticing the connection between your

feet and the earth. The sensations of your lower body, your thighs, knees, calves, shins,

heels, inner arches and ankles, the soles of your feet and your toes.

Maintain this awareness of your felt sense of the body as you slowly open your eyes.

Still standing, for a few cycles of breath, as you take in the information of the body

In spite of the distractions of all that you see.

As you are ready, with body awareness, begin slowly walking forward.

Take as much time as you can with each movement, and each part of every movement

Notice all the detail you can.

The shift of your weight forward.

The shift from heel towards toes

The lift of the heel

The lift of the foot

The movement of your foot through space.

The placement of the foot

The shift of weight

(pause 3-5 breaths)

As you move through space, walking forwards

How is your intent to walk forward

Related to the movement itself?

Which comes first?

The lift of the foot, or the intention to lift the foot?

Which part of the process is intentional?

Or is the body acting on its own?

Walking Guided Meditation Script

As you walk forward through the space around you

Curious about the process

Curious about the movement itself

At which point does the shift of weight begin?

At which point does the lifting of the foot begin?

At which point does it end?

At which point does the lifting of the foot become the placing of the foot?

(pause 3-5 breaths)

As you slowly step forward

Notice when the body is still and when it is moving,

And allow for the boundaries between movement and stillness to break down.

(pause 3-5 breaths)

As you slowly step forward,

Notice the separation between movement, and awareness of that movement

Notice the connection between movement, and awareness of that movement

Allow for the boundaries between body and mind to break down

(pause 3-5 breaths)

And you slowly walk forward,

At which point are you in contact with the earth, and when are you not?

Is there ever a point in which you are not held by the earth?

Allow for the boundaries between your body and the elements around you to break down.

(pause 3-5 breaths)

Continue with the movement,

With awareness

With contemplation

Allow the form body, its movement through the emptiness of space

And the dance between the two

To show you what’s real and what is not

Continue until you’ve reached the end of your path, or until your time is up.

Spend a few moments standing still.

Close your eyes, and come back to the sensation of feet rooted to the ground

Allow yourself to feel held,

Notice the energy that the earth gives back to you when you surrender to the earth, and release your heaviness down.

Notice your breath

And then slowly, open your eyes.