I was feeling a bit crazed after work today though. Frustrated and stressed and no amount of audiobook was going to fix that. Plus, it was cold out... and dark... and windy and even though I was only going five blocks, that little whiny bit of my brain was quite loud. I needed a new tactic to destress and unwind so tonight I tried "walking meditation."
Stay with me now. If you've ever tried meditation, you'll know that it can be very relaxing and helpful and a good way to center yourself. If you've never tried meditation, let me fill you in. It is not really as existential as it sounds. For me, meditation is a time to sit and to stop thinking.
You stop thinking about the conversations you've had with your family that are annoying you. You stop thinking about what you are making for dinner or when you can go to bed. Instead, you sit in a quiet, comfortable spot and think about breathing. You think about your breath going in and out. How it feels. How the air feels on your skin. How your body warms your breath. If you have any other thoughts, you just acknowledge them and go back to focusing on your breathing.
After about 5-10 minutes of this, you get up and it's like your brain has had a break. You feel really good and coping is so much easier. If you're looking to try it, guided meditation is a good way to start. Basically someone talks you through how not to think and keeps you focused on breathing. There's a nice basic one on Yoga Journal if you are wanting to try it.
Back to walking meditation. It's the same kind of idea, but you do it while walking. You stay mindful of your body. Your breathing. How your body balances itself while walking. I have been reading up on this to teach it at a TOPS meeting. (This is my favorite site if you are looking for more information about it.) Tonight seemed like the perfect time to give it a try; a windy, cold, night when I felt anything, but peaceful.
I started walking and thinking about how my body was balancing in the wind. How the wind moved around me and past me. How it pushed at my pants while I was walking. And as I kept feeling the wind, I realized that, even though it was blowing, it had to move out of the way for me. And, no matter how cold it was, my body could warm it up with a breath. Between me and the wind, I was the stronger of the two. That was comforting. I felt warm and relaxed as I got to my mom's house tonight.
I love having another way to take a walk.
Today's Thought:
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