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Everyone knows the value of walking. It helps your heart, your circulation and your tummy (a great calorie burner)

But what you may not have thought about is this: combining your walking time with meditation to enhance the value of your walking. Most people take up walking because it’s an excellent form of exercise, it minimizes injuries and there is no learning curve; everyone knows how to walk.

You don’t need any special equipment. Just start walking and you are instantly on your way to better health. When you add meditation to your walking, you will find the experience invaluable.

So what is mindful walking or walking meditation? Walking meditation is when you consciously pay attention to your every step. With mindful walking, there is no need to increase your pace, in fact, you might begin by walking at a slower pace so you can get the hang of walking meditation.

When you focus on your walking, pay attention to how it feels as you raise your foot then place it back down on the ground, one step at a time. Walking meditation has its roots in Buddhism, in particular the art of Ayatana. In Christianity, the practice of labyrinth walking is considered to be a form of walking meditation.

Utilizing mindful walking helps you focus on the present. As you become more skilled at concentrating your focus on your footsteps and not on the troubles of your day, you will find your stress melting away.

Common forms of meditation have you sitting with eyes closed, concentrating within. With walking meditation, your eyes are wide open, absorbing the outside world. This gives you the opportunity to break away from the mind and all its clutter; a priceless tool, especially for us westerners

Here are some basic tips for walking meditation:

* Conduct your walking meditation in an area that you are familiar with.

* Attempt to walk for a 20 minute time period. If you find that is too long for you, then you may want to begin with a 5 minute period and work your way up to 20 minutes.

* Start walking with a relaxed posture.

* Concentrate on how your feet feel.

* Relax your arms.

* As you walk, keep your focus about 3 to 6 feet in front of you.

In conclusion, mindful walking is a practice that is easy to implement into your daily exercise regiment. Not only will you be helping your body out, but you will be taking your exercise program up a notch by improving your mind and spirit.

Enjoy your walk!!

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