Walking Meditation – Lengthen your out-breath

Relax and deepen your breath while walking. Count your steps with your breath as you walk. When you breathe in, count the steps you take on each foot. While you are breathing in, count 1 for your left foot as it touches the ground, 2 for your right foot, 3 for your left foot, and so forth until you finish your in-breath. Do the same process for your out-breath. We all breathe at different lengths. Whatever length of in-breath and out-breath you have been averaging, stay with that length for a minute or two.

Next, start increasing only your out-breath slowly and gradually. If your normal in-breath is 3 steps, try increasing your out-breath to 5 steps. This would be 3 in and 5 out. If this is hard and uncomfortable, go back to 3 in and 3 out for a while. Once you are comfortable again, try increasing the out-breath to just 4 steps. Gradually increase the out-breath, always keeping the increase comfortable. I never allow myself to go to the point of running out of breath and having to gasp to breathe in. Always work this process in a slow, comfortable manner. Do this for a couple of minutes or longer, if it is comfortable, and then go back to your regular walking.

If thoughts, emotions, or sensations take you away from counting your steps, this is normal. As soon as you realize your focus has wandered, just let go, and move your concentration back to counting steps. If whatever pulled you away is strong, let your attention stay on it until it lessens and then return to counting your steps. This can occur often and is a process. The thoughts pulling you away from the breath are normal and necessary, and help with developing focus and awareness.

These exercises over time will deepen your breathing, helping you to relax naturally. Paying attention to where your mind wanders, provides information about where your mind is going and what it is interested in. If you can see where your mind wanders, you have a choice in letting the mind continue or choosing another option.

You may find similar walking exercises posted and feel they are exactly the same. It is true that they look the same, but they work with different lengths of breath.