Walking meditation, walking meditation that is rich in benefits

Meditation fans may already be familiar with the term meditation walking aka walking meditation. This meditation technique is quite popular because it does not require equipment, making it easier for fans to do it. So, what are the benefits offered from this walking meditation?

The benefits of walking meditation

Some of you may feel that walking meditation is no different from taking a leisurely walk. In reality this is not the case. Walking meditation is part of the training to focus on and is similar to a breathing technique.

This meditation technique gives you the opportunity to be more focused and relieve the burden on your mind when under stress. Here are some of the benefits that can be obtained from walking meditation.

1. Improve blood circulation

One of the benefits that can be obtained from walking meditation is to help the body improve blood circulation. How can?

You see, walking meditation is often used by those who sit on chairs for too long, especially office employees. This meditation actually helps blood flow, especially to the feet.

That way, your mind and body may feel lighter and slower due to the smooth flow of blood. What's more, walking with a conscious, focused mind is also good for boosting your energy when sitting too long. Work productivity increases, health is also maintained.

2. Helps reduce anxiety

Apart from improving blood flow, walking meditation can also help you reduce anxiety levels. This is evidenced through studies from American Journal of Health Promotion.

Participants in the study showed that walking combined with meditation was more effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety. The reason is, they show quite drastic changes in anxiety levels, both during meditation and before walking meditation.

Meanwhile, the group of people who just walked normally did not show much change. Therefore, starting the habit of meditating while walking for 10 minutes turns out to be good for mental health, especially anxiety.

3. Increase blood sugar levels and circulation

Who would have thought that walking meditation could increase blood sugar levels and circulation? Benefits meditation walking this one is certainly very helpful for people, especially people with diabetes.

A limited study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine concluded that walking meditation has a positive impact on sugar levels.

The study, which was conducted on people with type 2 diabetes, asked them to practice walking with a fully conscious state for 30 minutes.

The exercise is performed three times a week for 12 full weeks. As a result, participants who did walking meditation showed greater improvements in blood levels and circulation.

These results were then compared with those with diabetes who walked normally and did not show any appreciable difference.

4. Helps increase creativity

Mind stagnant at work and unable to be productive because of limited creativity? No need to worry. Stagnating thoughts can actually be resolved by walking meditation.

As you know, this meditation is a technique to practice focusing attention. Practicing focusing attention is believed to make the mind clearer and more focused and stimulate creativity.

There are several factors that make this condition occur, namely

meditation helps the mind be more open to new ideas
make the mind more focused and easier to explore ideas
be more adventurous and less skeptical when trying to explore new ideas

Therefore, not a few people who may feel a fresher mind after doing meditation, including walking meditation.

Tips for doing meditation while walking

Basically, meditation while walking should not be done carelessly like an ordinary walk. Therefore, special techniques are needed when you want to get started walking meditation.

1. Choose a quiet place

Before starting meditation while walking, of course you need to choose a place with a calm atmosphere and rarely pass by vehicles. In fact, practicing meditation while walking also requires a flat place so you don't have to worry about tripping over.

When practicing in public, you need to be careful not to get in the way of other people. Meanwhile, walking meditation indoors is also a pretty good alternative because you can concentrate fully and not be distracted by your surroundings.

2. Start by "holding back" yourself

After finding a suitable place, walking meditation can be started by taking a few moments to breathe deeply. That way, you pay more attention to your body and may feel the stability of the ground beneath your feet.

Then, you can start by walking slowly. Instead of focusing too much on your breath, try to pay more attention to the movement of your legs and body as you move forward. When turning, you also need to look at the position of your feet and how they feel.

This is true whether walking meditation for 10 minutes or more. Don't forget to take breaks so you can check on yourself after meditation.

3. Focusing attention while walking

Once you are successful in experiencing the physical sensations during walking meditation, don't forget about your feelings, thoughts, and moods. However, you only need to pay attention to this condition before and when walking.

Also try not to be too rigid in following instructions when walking. You can walk naturally with a more open and calm mind.

4. Pay attention to speed and posture

For those of you who have managed to experience the benefits of walking meditation, it turns out that your speed and posture need to be taken into account. Walking too fast and in a hurry will certainly make you more tired, so you can start at a slower pace.

Then, try to let your hands and arms swing at your sides. In addition, you can relax your leg muscles while walking to make them more natural and comfortable.

For those of you who have successfully mastered some of these walking techniques, increase the challenge by walking with a tighter body. It might be a little difficult at first, but the practice will get you used to it.