Sitting meditation is foundational, but it's not the only way to practice. Walking meditation—mindful, deliberate movement with full awareness—has been part of contemplative traditions for millennia. For many practitioners, it's not just an alternative to sitting but an essential complement.
Whether you can't sit still, want to integrate practice with movement, or simply need variation, walking meditation offers the same depth as seated practice in a different form.
Why Walk?
When Sitting Is Difficult
Restlessness: Some sessions, the body won't settle. Energy buzzes. Stillness feels like torture. Walking channels that energy rather than fighting it.
Physical limitations: Pain, injury, or disability may make sitting difficult. Walking offers accessible practice for many who struggle with seated postures.
Sleepiness: If sitting invites sleep, walking prevents it. The body is engaged; drowsiness can't take hold.
The Unique Benefits
Grounding: Walking connects awareness to body and earth. The physical contact, the movement through space, creates embodied presence.
Integration: Practice in stillness is one thing; practice in movement prepares for practice in life. Walking meditation bridges cushion and daily activity.
Sustained practice: On retreats, walking alternates with sitting, allowing extended practice periods. At home, walking can extend practice when sitting capacity is exhausted.
Traditional Use
In Theravada: Walking meditation (cankama) is practiced between sitting sessions, typically on a defined path, with attention on the sensations of walking.
In Zen: Kinhin—slow, formal walking—is practiced between periods of zazen, maintaining continuity of practice.
In Tibetan traditions: Circumambulation of sacred sites, walking with mantra, and various movement practices integrate walking and meditation.
The Basic Practice
The Setup
Location: A path of 20-40 feet works well. Indoors or outdoors. Flat and unobstructed. You'll walk back and forth, not in circles (though circles work too).
Pace: Slower than normal walking. How slow varies by tradition and preference—from very slow (one step every few seconds) to nearly normal pace.
Posture: Upright, relaxed. Hands can be clasped in front, behind, or at sides. Eyes downcast, gazing several feet ahead.
The Attention
Primary focus: The sensations of walking. This can be: - Feet: feeling the contact with ground, pressure, movement - Legs: the lifting, moving, placing - Whole body: the overall sensation of walking
When attention wanders: Same as seated meditation—notice the wandering, return to walking sensations.
The Technique
Beginning: Stand at one end of your path. Take a moment to arrive, to feel standing.
Walking: Begin walking slowly. Feel each step. When you reach the path's end, pause.
Turning: Turn deliberately, maintaining awareness. Not automatically, but with the same attention you give to walking.
Returning: Walk back. Continue the cycle for your practice duration.
Variations
Very Slow Walking
The pace: Extremely slow—perhaps one step every 5-10 seconds.
The instruction: Break walking into components: 1. Lifting the foot 2. Moving the foot forward 3. Placing the foot down 4. Shifting weight to that foot
Notice each phase distinctly.
The benefit: Reveals the complexity of walking, normally invisible. Develops fine-grained attention.
The challenge: Requires balance. May feel awkward initially.
Moderate Pace
The speed: Slower than normal but not extremely slow. Each step deliberate and felt, but continuous movement.
The attention: General awareness of walking rather than component-by-component breakdown.
The use: More accessible than very slow walking. Good for restlessness or when very slow pace feels forced.
Normal Pace
The approach: Walk at natural speed with full awareness.
The attention: Not micromanaging steps, but present with the activity of walking.
The use: Integration practice. Bringing awareness to ordinary movement.
Zen Kinhin
The form: Hands in shashu mudra (left fist at solar plexus, right hand covering it). Very slow, synchronized if in a group.
The pace: One step per breath, or even slower.
The quality: The same dignity and presence as zazen, now in motion.
Noting While Walking
The technique: Mahasi-style noting applied to walking: - "Lifting, moving, placing" (noting each component) - Or simply "left, right"
The purpose: The verbal note maintains contact with immediate experience.
Walking with Breath
The coordination: Synchronize steps with breath: - Inhale for 3-4 steps - Exhale for 3-4 steps
The variation: Count steps per breath. Let it be natural rather than forced.
Mantra Walking
The practice: Repeat a mantra while walking—each syllable with a step, or each repetition with a set of steps.
The example: Om mani padme hum—six syllables, six steps.
Indoor vs. Outdoor
Indoor Practice
Advantages: - Controlled environment - Private - Available in any weather - Fewer distractions
Considerations: - Shorter path typically - Less natural stimulation - May feel confined
Outdoor Practice
Advantages: - Connection with nature - Fresh air and natural light - Larger space possible - More varied sensory input
Considerations: - Weather dependent - Potential interruptions - Surface variations - Social visibility
The approach: Both are valid. Indoor for formal practice; outdoor adds natural elements. Choose based on circumstances.
Common Challenges
Feeling Silly
The concern: Walking extremely slowly looks strange. Self-consciousness arises.
The response: Practice privately if this is an obstacle. Or recognize self-consciousness as just another mental event to observe.
Balance at Slow Speeds
The challenge: Very slow walking requires balance that isn't normally engaged.
The solution: Build slowly. Start with moderate pace. Let balance develop. Use a wall nearby if needed initially.
Mind Wandering
The pattern: Attention drifts. You've walked the whole path thinking about something else.
The response: Same as seated practice. Notice, return. No judgment. The wandering is expected; the return is practice.
Boredom
The feeling: Just walking back and forth. Nothing happening.
The response: Look more closely. Is it really boring, or is attention too coarse to see what's there? Boredom can indicate insufficient investigation.
Wanting to Move Faster
The impulse: Impatience. The slow pace feels forced.
The response: Notice the impatience itself. Or, actually speed up—find the pace that works. Very slow isn't mandatory.
Duration and Integration
How Long
Standalone: 15-30 minutes is a reasonable walking session.
With sitting: Traditional retreat schedules alternate: 30-45 minutes sitting, 15-20 minutes walking. At home, even briefer walking periods between sits work.
In Your Practice
Options: - Walking as primary practice - Walking to complement sitting - Walking when sitting is difficult - Walking as transition (before or after sitting)
In Daily Life
The extension: Any walking can become practice. Walking to work. Walking to the bathroom. A brief walk outside.
The key: Attention on the body, the movement, the present moment—however long you walk.
The Deeper Purpose
Beyond Technique
Walking meditation isn't just an alternative when sitting doesn't work. It's training presence during activity—the bridge between cushion and life.
What You're Developing
Embodied awareness: Knowing the body from inside, not just thinking about it.
Continuous practice: The capacity to maintain awareness through change and movement.
Integration: Breaking the wall between formal practice and everything else.
The Tradition
Walking meditation has been practiced for as long as seated meditation. The Buddha taught it. Zen, Theravada, and Tibetan traditions all include it. You're practicing something ancient and tested.
Starting Practice
Today: Find a space. Twenty feet of clear path.
Stand still for a moment. Feel your feet on the ground.
Begin walking slowly. Feel each step.
When you reach the end, stop. Turn deliberately. Walk back.
Continue for 10 minutes.
That's walking meditation.
Return is a meditation timer for practitioners using any technique—sitting, walking, or both. Set your session, practice your way, and let the minimal interface support your movement. Download Return on the App Store.