Walking meditation

Walking meditation (Cankama) is a beautiful although often misunderstood practice of meditation, and forms an integral part of every retreat I teach.

It traditionally comes from the Buddha himself shortly after his enlightenment, and is used to continue the cultivation of concentration and awareness whilst moving the body.

As we don't spend our days just sitting still, walking meditation has been refined to continue the flow of practice without a pause between one activity and another. This developing awareness can then be experienced in daily routine.

Our Dhamma practice has always to be all encompassing, otherwise it becomes only an escape from life. 

On retreat walking meditation begins the moment the third ring of the bell is heard to end the sitting practice. 

Our attention now goes to the body as we prepare to change our posture from sitting to standing, and then awareness of the many small movements needed to achieve that.

Once we are standing, we can walk mindfully to our walking path. Mindfully does not necessarily mean slowly, but here we encourage movements as slow, elegant and graceful as possible, noting each moment as it arises and passes away.

According to tradition our walking path should be about forty paces long although this will change depending on circumstances and personal situation.

When I was a monk the were times when I practiced walking meditation in my room pacing slowly from corner to corner.

The important part of the path is the it must have a marked beginning and an end. Walking meditation is a precise practice, and not just an opportunity to wander around outside.

Having arrived at our starting point we take our sanding posture with the body relaxed, our hands lightly clasped in front or behind and eyes looking down and slightly ahead, but not at our feet.

We then take the awareness to the top of the head and lightly pass it down through the body, just noticing and sensations that present themselves, but as always in Vipassana practice, never trying to make something happen. This sweeping awareness should take only one minute and leave us with our attention on the soles of our feet.

Then we begin to step. 

Keeping our awareness on the foot that is moving we notice the moment when the heel leaves the ground, the flat of the foot rolling and finally we notice the moment the toe leaves the ground.

Now our awareness is with the foot as it travels through the air with no weight on it. Then as the heel touches the ground, and as the weight arrives again on flat of the foot. 

Now our attention goes to the back foot (the one that will step) and we repeat the process as slowly as is comfortable for us, and giving each movement our undivided attention.

To help us with this we can identify these three aspects of stepping as , 'lifting, moving, placing'.

We walk in this way, slowly, mindfully and without expectation until we arrive at the end of our path.

Here we stop of course, and pass the awareness down through the body again arriving once more at the soles of the feet.

Now we must turn to face the way we have just come. Keeping our attention with the shifting sensations in the soles of the feet we turn in any way that is comfortable to us.

Once facing our original starting point again we repeat the whole process, beginning with passing the awareness down through the body.

We pace backwards and forwards in this way until we hear the bell and return at the same rhythm to our cushion. Without pause we take our sitting posture and continue with our Vipassana practice.

In this way we cultivate the practice of every moment awareness.

Whether we are sitting, standing, walking or lying down, we can do this practice.

As our awareness naturally deepens we cultivate, eating meditation, resting on the bed meditation, showering meditation, etc, etc.

Life becomes meditation and meditation becomes life. This is how we must train ourselves.

May all beings be happy.