Meditation guided sessions might typically be characterized as sitting quietly and focusing inward, but for the more actively inclined among meditation practitioners, walking guided meditation might be a good choice to try out. You may be surprised to find how well the repetitive rhythm of walking can induce a meditative trance when performed properly.
The first thing you will need to accomplish when implementing a new regime of walking meditation is to find a pathway that you can walk down. It should be fairly straight and smooth with no gaps (and preferably no hills or inclines). A path around thirty feet long will do nicely. This path can be either in or outdoors. Once you have found your path, stand at one end and begin walking at a consistent pace; fast or slow, however you feel suited to walking. You may want to traverse the path a few times just to get a good feel of it before beginning walking meditation.
When you are ready to begin the meditation routine itself, walk the path as you did before, but look down with half-closed eyes as you walk. Put your focus on your legs: their movement and the energy your body gives them. All of your thoughts should center on your legs. Actively feel your foot hit the ground. Let no other thoughts enter your mind other than how your feet and legs move and function across this path. If you have tried guided meditation with mantras, this is a similar notion, only instead of reciting a mantra, your attention goes to your legs.
Inevitably, you will reach the end of your pathway. When you do, pause for a brief second and turn around to cross the path again, continuing this meditation technique. If your mind tends to wander, the brief break in turning around will likely remind it where you need it to focus. You may feel unsure of whether or not you have reached a meditative trance in this method, as it might feel foreign to you. Do your best not to worry about that aspect of it, as that can be a huge distraction.
Trusting yourself and your capabilities to meditate properly are very valuable skills, and necessary for this active form of meditation. Continue walking back and forth over this path for around twenty minutes. If you feel satisfied with your meditation before twenty minutes have elapsed, feel free to end the routine there. Depending on how you meditate, it could be more about the laps on the path than the time put into this form of meditation guided.
