The Zen master Ling Chi said that the miracle is not to walk on burning charcoal or in the thin air or on the water; the miracle is just to walk on earth. You breathe in. You become aware of the fact that you are alive. You are still alive and you are walking on this beautiful planet. That is already performing a miracle. The greatest of all miracles is to be alive. We have to awaken ourselves to the truth that we are here, alive. We are here making steps on this beautiful planet. This is already performing a miracle. But we have to be here in order for the miracle to be possible. We have to bring ourselves back to the here and the now."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Resting in the River
Walking Meditation: Quotes, Bibliography, Links, Information, Methods
"Walking meditation is walking in full awareness of breath, body and everything the senses present. It is not an aerobic exercise - though it would be a fine lead-in to aerobic walking. Rather, walking meditation is done slowly and consciously, with each step fully feeling the earth. During this precious time, body and mind come together, joined in the present moment. Although the benefits of walking meditation will deepen over time, even from the start, you can experience some measure of the relaxation, balance and quiet energy that builds through this practice."
- Ginny Whitelaw, Body Learning, p. 55.
"Research conducted at Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Medical Institute has found that focused walking meditations are highly effective for reducing anxiety and producing what’s called the “relaxation response.”
- Borgess Health
The Ways of Walking
Compiled by Mike Garofalo
Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Lore, Facts
"Walking meditation is not just for stretching our legs. It is a technique just as powerful as sitting. Within the Buddhist world there are many styles of walking meditation: the formal kinhin of Zen, the kaihogyo of Mt. Hiei, the rlung-sgom of Tibet, etc.
Walk slowly but naturally. Try to register as much information as possible about the sensation in each foot as it moves. Break the movement into distinct components and note each one. Distinguish the lifting, swinging and down-tread. Experience each change in tactile sensation against the floor as you lift and touch down. Try to feel the many tiny jerks of muscles involved in the foot's seemingly smooth motion. Try to see that each component and sub-component of the foot's motion has its own distinct beginning, middle and end.
At first you may want to make explicit mental note of the components by saying to yourself something like "Begin lift, lifting, end lift, begin swing, swinging, end swing, begin coming down, coming down, begin touching ground, touching..." However, as you become more and more aware of subtle events, you will not have time to characterize each with words. In any event, keep an unbroken stream of awareness about the foot. If your attention wanders, be aware of that fact and return to the foot. Remember, it is very important to keep the rest of the body relaxed
while you do this.
Our sense of solidity and separateness comes about because we habitually grasp and freeze each moment of sensation. The vipassana walking exercise is designed to so completely flood your consciousness with reality moments that there simply is no time left for grasping and freezing. As soon as a piece of data is registered, move on to the next piece of data without allowing the memory of the former piece of data to congeal."
- Walking Meditation, Shinzen Young
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