Walking meditation is a great way to mindfully incorporate Smiling On Life into your daily or weekly routine. It is a great way to bring loving awareness to life in the present moment.
1. Look to find a place that will allow you to back and forth for about 10-20 comfortable paces. The place that is peaceful where you feel you will undisturbed, since you will be taking steps very slowly and it may look strange to people around you.
The goal is not to have a destination in mind nor to reach a goal but to intentionally walk while breathing slowly and lovingly gaze on life around you.
2. Begin to slowly walk 10-20 steps along your chosen lane. Find that rhythm for you that matches a certain number of steps with your inhalation and a certain number of steps that matches your exhalation. When you get to the end of your path slowly turn and walk back and continue the process for as long as you desire.
3. While rhythmically breathing to your walking, loving gaze and smile on the ground in front of you. If your eyes should wonder to something else hold your loving gaze and smile on to that thing until your eyes lead you back to the ground in front of you.
4. The steps you take should be small and comfortable with the hands clasped in front or behind you or even let them hang naturally from your side.
5. To still the mind even more you can gently add the mantra “I breath in” on the inhalation phase and “I smile on” on the exhalation phase
6. If your attention passes to the movement of your legs and feet contacting the ground, then loving smile on that. If your attention moves to the sounds you hear nearby, loving smile on that sound. If your attention moves to whatever your eyes take you, then lovingly smile on that also.
7. If your mind should wander, as it normally would want to, softly come back to your breathing mantra. It is okay that the mind wonders, loving smile on whatever it wanders to and then gently come back to the breathing mantra.
8. Walking Meditation is not for everyone but it is a practice that will help to guide the mind to loving gaze on and smile on life as it is in the present moment. It is an excellent practice to help bring loving awareness to your daily activities and smiling on life with love.