How to Walk

Throughout the day it is hard to include mindfulness for meditation practitioners. The mind can swirl around goals and obstacles for most of the day. The trick for many meditators is to include as much mindfulness as possible in areas of the day that are taken for granted. One area for Thich Nhat Hanh that is taken for granted is How to Walk meditatively.

“I have arrived.”

This is how Thich Nhat Hanh feels walking should be performed, “arriving”. The title of his book is How to Walk which is exactly how he is trying to teach the reader. Walking with presence as opposed to walking unconsciously.

In my experience, walking or running experiencing footfalls creates the same concentration states as following your breath.

To make walking like that of Thich Naht Hanh, it requires the following adjustments:

Walking with awareness of your feet touching the ground or awareness of your breath.
Your choice of walking or breathing has to be natural and not forced.
The attitude while walking is one of reverence for the planet and feeling the wonder of existence.
You can think when you need to think, but if the thinking loses its purpose, go back to your walking.
Let go of thinking that is about rushing to an end point. That kind of thinking ruins the continuity and momentum of your practice.

Other tips in this book include useful mantras to keep the thinking mind present and special instructions for walking up long flights of steps.

Gratitude on tap

What I learned from this book is a form of gratitude. Most meditators at some point notice a sense of wonder when there’s enough consistency and momentum in their meditation session. With your eyes open the world can look miraculous. Fresh perceptions make objects feel like they are newly discovered. For example, the way light reflects off of a building. The movement of clouds. Even garbage can look miraculous when the meditation is good!

What is happiness? Peace.

The other overriding message of the book is Thich Naht Hanh’s message of peace. Peace is something that is cultivated. Our brains are actually addicted to conflict. It needs to be relaxed in order to experience any kind of peace. And because people are mimetic, meaning that they naturally imitate, your peace will radiate peace into others making this skill into a gift.

How to Walk – Thich Nhat Hanh: Kindle: https://amzn.to/3mmfLAc Paperback: https://amzn.to/3fNgHeD

Contemplative practice: https://psychreviews.org/category/contemplativepractice/