Walking Is the Path
How does your summer walk feel today?
Stepping out for a walk in the summer sun, I'm immediately aware of my sensations. I feel the heat of the pavement rising up from beneath me and the sun beating down on my skin (let's face it, the heat has felt oppressive lately). I smell food grilling and hear kids playing in a nearby sprinkler, hollering without a care. My mind wanders away a to-do list, full of daily chores and responsibilities, then my mindfulness practice invites me back into this moment of walking. Here I go again, placing one foot in front of the other, awakening to each moment.
What do you notice while walking?
Inviting you to bring your attention down into the body, taking this moment to notice what your experience is right now. Now inviting you to move from sitting to standing, noticing all that occurs during that shift, and now taking a moment to notice what it is just to stand. Now inviting you to pick one foot up, move it forward and place it on the ground, and then take several more steps, noticing all the while just what it is to walk; not thinking about walking, or thinking about what walking might involve, just noticing what it is to walk. Noticing the sensations within the body, the contact with the floor, moving slowly and deliberately so you have time to catalogue all that arises. Stopping after several steps, and noticing what it is to just stand now. And beginning again, for several more steps. Letting go of each step as it is completed, attending just to the current step. Not thinking about walking when you’re standing, nor anticipating stopping while you’re walking. As thoughts arise, allowing them to move through the mind like clouds across a blue sky, not pushing them away nor holding on to them. Learning to ride the experience of each moment as it arises.
If movement other than walking is more appropriate for you, know that you can attend to the present moment experience of moving any part of the body, in any deliberate way.
May you experience each moment, just as it is.
In wellness,
- Julia and the CMP Team
