Walking delivers a host of known health benefits, from improved cardiovascular health to a mood boost. And you can bring body and mind together when you participate in a walking meditation. How so? You get the perks of developing a regular walking routine while focusing and calming your mind for a well-rounded program that bolsters your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, according to Amanda Lawford, a certified meditation and yoga teacher and DailyOM course creator.
Here’s what you may want to know about walking meditation, and how it can enhance your life and overall well-being.
Interested in learning more? Check out A Year of Walking Meditations to Cleanse and Renew Your Life.
Meet Your Teacher: Amanda Lawford
Certified meditation and yoga teacher Amanda Lawford, a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider and director of Inspire Movement Coaching, has over 20 years of experience in wellness practices. She also has a background in professional dance. All of these things have converged to create her interest and expertise in the impact of movement on the mind-body connection.
But there’s more to Lawford’s story and why walking meditation has become a companion in her life. “I have lived with a rare type of chronic blood cancer for many years,” she says. “Walking meditation is a beautiful synergy of movement, breath, and stress release. It’s something that has helped me manage my symptoms and develop my strength. Given how incredible it has been for me, I’d love to share that with people.”
What Is Walking Meditation?
Walking meditation combines both walking and meditation into one practice. If you’ve wanted to practice meditation but haven’t been able to incorporate it into your life, walking can help you do just that.
“Walking meditation offers an opportunity to deepen your connection with your body,” says Lawford. “With each step, you become more attuned to the sensations and movements of your physical being.” Think about how your feet touch the ground or how the breeze feels on your skin. “This heightened awareness fosters a sense of presence and mindfulness, grounding you in the present moment and enriching your sensory experience,” she adds.
Here are some helpful things to know about walking meditation.
- Know that it’s good for beginners: If you’re struggling to start an exercise routine, a walking meditation is a great option for adding more movement and mindfulness to your life as you create the habit.
- Know that you don’t need experience meditating: Although meditation is for everyone, it does take practice. A walking meditation is a wonderful way to learn, and doing it over time can help you learn to meditate in a non-intimidating but really meaningful way.
- Know that it’s accessible: If you want to carve out special time for your walking meditation, certainly do so. But you can also fit the practice into your lifestyle and schedule, like on your commute to work, as you pick up your children from school, or as you cool down from a workout.
- Know you can practice as needed: It’s important to do this practice regularly, and while it’s available to you daily, it’s okay if you don’t practice every day. Use walking meditation as much or as little as you want. If you miss a day, that’s okay — the practice will be waiting for you when you’re ready.
Why Is Walking Meditation Important for Mental and Physical Health?
Walking meditation is a mind-body experience, so practicing regularly delivers both physical and mental benefits. “The act of walking itself is a gentle form of exercise, allowing you to stretch muscle, increase circulation, and invigorate your body,” says Lawford. At the same time, you have a chance to reset, find balance, clear your mind, enhance focus, and relieve stress, she explains.
Here are a handful of perks to establishing a walking meditation practice.
1. It May Release Stress and Tension
It’s tempting to listen to a podcast or music or call a friend when you’re on a walk — and those are all wonderful in their own right — but consider the benefits of turning inward. Listening to a meditation as you move can focus your mind. “The rhythm of your steps as you walk helps to release stress from the body,” says Lawford. Indeed, one study found that young adults who either briskly walked or participated in mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes benefitted from a boost in mood compared to an inactive control group. Imagine, then, how powerful these two activities are when combined. The authors of the study suggest that exercise improves feelings of vigor and energy, while mindfulness meditation affects parts of the brain that regulate emotions.
2. It Can Deepen Your Relationship to Yourself
Mindful movement, in this case the rhythm of walking, can be combined with mindful awareness to bring a sense of peace to your body and your thoughts. When you intentionally create space like this in your life, you’re then able to experience the world with more loving-kindness, joy, gratitude, and self-compassion. As with most meditation practices, as you continue to build your walking meditation practice, you may experience introspection on an all-new level. If so, it may be helpful to integrate what you’ve learned on a walking meditation by journaling about the thoughts and feelings that may have come up during your practice. This helps with processing and preserving your inner learnings.
3. It Connects You With Nature on an All-New Level
You can practice walking meditation just about anywhere, from residential neighborhood streets to city sidewalks, busy airports, treadmills, and more. But if you have the opportunity to take your walking meditation into nature, like at a park, along a beach, or on a hike in the forest, do it. “With the sun on your skin, breathing in fresh air, or listening to a bird song, melding nature into a walking meditation creates a beautiful synergy to connect the mind and body to the natural world,” says Lawford.
Indeed, science backs that up. According to one systematic review and meta-analysis, walking in natural spaces has been shown to improve mental health, even relieving the symptoms of anxiety and depression better than control conditions (such as walks in urban environments). Nature is convenient (many times right outside your door), available, and affordable, making it an inclusive space where people can go for respite and to de-stress, the authors noted. Other research indicates that the natural setting is especially good for turning the dial down on anxiety and rumination.
The Bottom Line
All you need to start a walking meditation routine is to take those first few steps. Combining walking and meditation is a wonderful way to relieve stress, focus your mind, and find joy in your day. “The goal is to integrate this practice into your life so it becomes second nature,” says Lawford. And with a consistent practice, “if you feel stressed, you’ll begin to naturally slow down your breath to find calm.”
