It is common knowledge that walking is great for you. It’s good for your heart, good for your waistline, and it is good for your circulation

But here is something else for you to think about: why not use your walking as a time for meditation?. Most people start walking because it’s an excellent form of exercise, injuries are rarely experienced and there is no learning involved. Easy, easy, easy.

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 walking meditation, or mindful walking? It is when you deliberately focus on your every step. You don’t have to increase your speed, in fact, you might begin by walking slower so you can get the hang of mindful walking.

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.

Walking meditation helps you stay focused on the now moment. You will find your stress gradually disappearing as you become more skilled at the practice.

Many forms of meditation have the individual sitting with eyes shut, focusing their attention away from the outside. With mindful walking, the eyes are open wide, taking in the outside environment. This gives the walker an opportunity to detatch from the head noisy; a very valuable experience, especially for westerners.

Here are some general instructions for walking meditation:

* Walk in an area that you are familiar and comfortable 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.

* Begin walking with good and relaxed posture.

* Focus on the sensations in your feet as they lift off the ground and touch the ground.

* Let your arms relax, down by your side.

* Gently focus about three to six feet in front of you as you walk.

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.

Happy walking.