Bushwalk Australia

I have been trying out a few different walking meditation techniques of late and had a bit of success with three techniques.

I have written the following article with some tips, but I am interested if anyone else has got any other techniques they would like to share to help my quest for Enhikingment! (I just made that word up!)

http://www.inspirationoutdoors.com.au/w ... editation/

Many thanks,

Simon

Not sure meditation and hiking go well together - at least not where you need to focus on trail finding and ensuring you are walking safely. "No mind" could be dangerous.

If it's just a day walk or easy walk it might work. If I was to meditate it would be after I've arrived at a campsite...

I think in many ways just focusing on each step and focusing on the trail is a form of meditation in itself - keeps you from thinking of other things and keeping your mind free of the usual cycle of stressful thought...

I do practice being mindful when I walk. My mind is naturally busy so I have to consciously bring my mind to the present otherwise before i know it I am off thinking about something that I don't need to. To do this I just bring my mind more to focus on the experience of what I see, what I smell, what I hear etc. It's a constant battle with my mind.

Thanks for the post and the reminder. I am off to meditate.

InspirationOutdoors wrote:I have been trying out a few different walking meditation techniques of late

Walking is a great way to practice meditation & I always feel so refreshed and recharged after a good walk, even a day walk but the longer the better

ErichFromm wrote:Not sure meditation and hiking go well together - at least not where you need to focus on trail finding and ensuring you are walking safely. "No mind" could be dangerous.

The purpose of meditation is to be more mindful, it's about being totally present in the current moment, it's not about having 'no mind'. You become more attuned to your surroundings and your spatial awareness to it, etc. Plus you are totally aware of your body and each footstep so you are less likely to have a wandering mind and slip on a rock or a root etc

simonm wrote:I do practice being mindful when I walk. My mind is naturally busy so I have to consciously bring my mind to the present otherwise before i know it I am off thinking about something that I don't need to.

Yeah I'm the same Simon. I find stopping periodically and taking a few deep breaths and really taking in the surroundings helps a lot. Going for a walk somewhere beautiful but stuck with thoughts from elsewhere going round and round in your head kind of defeats the purpose.

ErichFromm wrote:I think in many ways just focusing on each step and focusing on the trail is a form of meditation in itself - keeps you from thinking of other things and keeping your mind free of the usual cycle of stressful thought...

In my mind, this is the highest form of meditation (as per article) and also the most difficult to sustain. It's a kind of living meditation but it is easy for outside thoughts to slip in. I find I need to do a more conscious technique first, like counting breaths/steps etc, before I can obtain that sort of focus we are talking about.

Plenty of opportunities to practice though!

Mindfulness and meditation go together like map and compass or GPS and batteries

Walking meditation is a wonderfully rewarding practice especially in the bush.

Meditation is the practice of letting go. You can do this while walking in any terrain. When thoughts come in just let them go out again. Don't invite them to stay for a cuppa. Obviously, thoughts of safety, where to place you feet, monitoring weather, distance to next camp, etc, etc, are necessary but all the rest is superfluous.

I've fallen asleep while walking a few times. Not sleep walking but being so tired I nodded off without stopping. I don't recommend this even though HH The Dalai Lama says it is okay to fall asleep while meditating.

The rhythm of walking and synchronised breathing helps me slip into a deeper meditative state than I can achieve while sitting. When this state is broken, usually by a bird, I can return quickly without any effort.

Sometimes, while walking long boring days beside the road (I'm walking around Australia via roads) I wish I could fold time and distance. Meditation feels like doing just this. The days I practice walking meditation and mindfulness are the shortest and most enjoyable. I may walk 40-50kms but it feels like 25-30kms and time flies.

Thich Nhat Hanh, one of my favourite teachers, has practiced walking meditation his whole life. Are you familiar with his journey?