Buddhist Walking Meditation

Walking meditations provide unique benefits that can complement a sitting meditation practice. Walking naturally activates the energy of the spine, helps ones energy rise and calms the mind. It can be easier to generate a feeling of upliftment during a walking meditation. While in a sitting meditation it is easier to go deeper into stillness. Here is a metta bhavana or loving-kindness walking meditation that helps the hearts energy expand and rise. * Stand straight with chest puffed out a little. * Head is level, and eyes look up at 30 degrees. * Smile a littleforce one if necessary. * Walk in a straight line back and forth at least 200 yards long. Smooth, level ground is best, where you dont need to look down to secure your footing. * On each in breath, inhale deeper than normal, but dont strain, and feel loving-kindness enter your heart from from the world. * On the out breath, feel loving-kindness go out from your forehead chakra to the world and silently chant Buddha. Usually the first 10-15 minutes of walking the mind can be distracted and the metta, feeling of loving-kindness, will not rise. During this warm-up phase it might be useful to just let your eyes look around at the sights. This can help calm the mind. Then after 10-15 minutes, if you focus on looking up straight ahead, it will help further cultivate the metta. As with any new practice, it can take a few weeks to overcome egoic resistance and start feeling benefits. If you decide to try this, do it daily for 2-4 weeks before deciding whether or not to make it a regular part of your own spiritual life.

Loving-Kindness Walking Meditation

Breath Inhale
Head level, eyes gaze up about 30 degrees.

Smile

Loving-kindness in, energizing heart chakra

Stand and walk straight, chest slightly

Chest and diaphram expand

Mind focuses on energizing heart chakra with loving-kindness from the world

Loving-Kindness Walking Meditation

Breath Exhale
Silently chant Buddha on the exhale.

Buddha!
Loving-kindness out to the world

Chest and diaphram contract

Mind focuses on sending loving-kindness out through the forehead chakra