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Meditation Guide for the Fidgety Mind

An invitation for a mindful stroll.

By Aaron CortésPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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A photo taken by my father during one of his walks.

Home office seems to be the future, which brings many advantages, such as more time for yourself and less time on the road. You can get up to the kitchen to get your coffee at any time you like and work in pajamas all day. Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it?

However, as the isolation time has extended, it isn’t a surprise that you may feel anxious and find it hard to relax when the stress kicks in, even inside your own home. This is normal, your place of residence is no longer just a resting place, it is a workplace that is taken care of by yourself. If you are finding it difficult to sit to meditate at home or if your mind is fidgety with stress, then a walking meditation session would be an excellent option for you. Its not necessary for the place you are in to be an especial meditation place: That is the beauty of walking meditation, the freedom with which you can practice it.

Go to a place where you won’t be interrupted. It could be a park near by, your street or even a hallway.

Breath in all the air that you can; imagine that you are a cloud that grows wide as you fill up your lungs. Become bigger until you turn into a storm. The energy around you feels as if you are holding thunder inside you. Each lightning gliding above your skin. Now let the air out. You become lighter and lighter. The tension pours out of you in the form of rain. Repeat your transformation into a storm twice more, letting go more and more tension out each time.

Notice the floor as you rain down. As you visualize the raindrops hitting the ground you become aware of the sole of your feet. There are three support points on the sole of your feet: the heel, the big toe mound and the little toe mound. These support points are the only parts of your body that are in absolute contact with the surface of the Earth, the rest of the planet’s surface is occupied by something else. Your whole weigh is balanced over those support points.

Notice how your weigh is balanced along your legbones, connecting through your hips to your lower back. Feel the muscles around your legbones assisting them. Be aware of your calves. Now be aware of your thighs, the strength there is powerfully held by the gluteal muscles. Feel your core muscles take their natural position as if they were jigsaw pieces fitting together. The core muscles maintain your gravity centre in position, allowing a good posture.

Notice gravity. It is what makes it possible for you to feel your weight. Feel how it is constantly pulling you towards the Earth’s core. The only thing that prevents your body from being totally spread over the ground facing the core is your balance. You are defying gravity by the sole act of standing up.

The human body is like an inverted pendulum, shifting your balance from on foot to another makes you swing softly like one. Lean lightly to the right and notice how the support points on your left foot get a little bit over the ground. Now lean to the left and feel your right foot getting up. Proceed to shift your entire weigh over one foot completely and take a step to the front. Notice the foot in the front raising and then falling back to the ground. When we walk, we are constantly falling on a controlled way.

Walk at any pace you feel the most comfortable with. Take a deep breath as you travel like a cloud gently riding the wind. As your body moves you notice the sensations that your skin allow you to feel. Notice the air wrapping around your body, even if there is no wind blowing the air is there, flooding everything. Notice your clothes as they touch your skin, feel how they shield you from direct contact with the weather. Notice how they slide as you move your body.

Take a moment to notice your emotions as you move forward. Has today been a good day or a complex one? Had something happened that has influenced over how your mood? Your feelings are something that you can feel because you are alive. You have a mind that feels and a body that moves, and that is amazing.

I invite you to walk as much as you want, take all the time you need and continue living.

meditation
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About the Creator

Aaron Cortés

Mexico-based Writer.

English and Spanish.

Follow me at:

Instagram: @arawen.cortes

Twitter: @arawen_cortes

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