The common term for this form of meditation is “walking meditation.” I believe, however, that people on crutches or in wheelchairs can gain the same benefits doing this meditation as the bipedal folks do.
When meditating, you focus or concentrate your mind on a single object. In moving meditation, you have options as to where you place your attention. These include:
- Your breath, just as if you were in sitting meditation.
- Your body’s actual muscular/skeletal movement felt with each movement.
- Your foot and leg movement – lifting, moving, placing, shifting. Or your hand and arm movements with crutches or a wheelchair.
- The soles of your feet (if you’re not wearing shoes) as you contact the floor.
- The visual, auditory, olfactory sensations arising around you, physical sensations occurring in the body, and thoughts arising in the mind…basic mindfulness.
If you’re doing movement meditation as a formal meditation practice then select the distance you want to cover – for walking that’s about 10-15 feet. (We keep it short because it helps keep the mind more focused than taking a long amble – though there are times for those lovely walks too.) Then pick the time you want to practice – five minutes for starters, then more time, as you feel comfortable. Then begin.
When you come to the end of your set distance/length, stop, mindfully turn around, and then begin mindfully moving once more.
You don’t have to limit movement meditation to a formal practice. I use it when walking up or down stairs. Some people select walking to and from the restroom at work, while others use movement meditation when they’re doing their grocery shopping. Your options are limited by your imagination. There really isn’t a perfect time or place to live mindfully.
What’s important is that we become more conscious, more aware, more mindful of how we move during each moment of our waking day. Each time that we come home to the body, we’re creating balance and harmony in a world filled with turmoil.
