Walking Meditation
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Meditation does not have to be practiced sitting in the Lotus position. Meditation can also involve movements. Walking meditation is an example. Mindfulness meditation, a form of insight meditation, is practiced by Thich Nhat Hahn, A Vietnamese Buddhist monk. Walking meditation has become a popular form of retreat meditation, and it can be practiced with or without a guide. The focus of the walking meditation is not to get from one place to another, but to be fully present where you are. In walking, the focus is on the body, the sensation of movement, the muscle expansion and contraction as each step is taken, while the breath moves in and out of the lungs. The meditation is approached with mindfulness and intent, and it is practiced slowly, mindfully, and consciously.
Another ancient form of walking meditation is the practice of walking a labyrinth. This special kind of meditation exercise originated in the Catholic Church, with the best known example located in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres in France, dating to the early 13th century. Labyrinth walking has gained much popularity in recent decades.
Labyrinths are most often circular mandala type patterns with a walking path through to the center. There is only one way in and one way out. They can be inscribed in stone or drawn on any surface. In The Best Guide to Meditation (1998), Victor N. Davich says, "This path serves as a metaphor for life: we choose our path, follow it, and accept what comes." On the subject of walking meditations, Davich continues: "In this form of contemplative prayer, worshipers engage in prayerful meditation and contemplations as they tread a tiled or painted labyrinth design on the floor of the church's nave." This book also quotes Dr. Lauren Artress, from her book entitled Walking A Sacred Path where she describes this ancient practice as, "...a spiritual tool meant to awaken us to the deep rhythm that unites us to ourselves and into the light that calls from within."