Living Life Abundantly

Everyone knows the value of walking. It helps your heart, your circulation and your tummy (a great calorie burner)

But here is something else for you to consider: why not use your walking exercise as a time for meditation?. Most people take up walking because it’s a great form of exercise, it is easy on the joints and it isn’t complicated to learn.

You don’t need any special equipment. Just start walking and you are instantly on your way to better health. When you add meditation to your walking, you will find the experience invaluable.

So what is mindful walking or walking meditation? Walking meditation is when you consciously pay attention to your every step. With mindful walking, there is no need to increase your pace, in fact, you might begin by walking at a slower pace so you can get the hang of walking meditation.

When you focus on your walking, pay attention to how it feels as you raise your foot then place it back down on the ground, one step at a time. Walking meditation has its roots in Buddhism, in particular the art of Ayatana. In Christianity, the practice of labyrinth walking is considered to be a form of walking meditation.

Walking meditation helps you stay focused on the now moment. You will find your stress gradually disappearing as you become more skilled at the practice.

Many forms of meditation have the individual sitting with eyes shut, focusing their attention away from the outside. With mindful walking, the eyes are open wide, taking in the outside environment. This gives the walker an opportunity to detatch from the head noisy; a very valuable experience, especially for westerners.

Basic guidelines for walking meditation:

* Conduct your walking meditation in an area that you are familiar with.

* Shoot for a 20 minute time period. If that is too long for you, start with a 5 minute period and gradually increase your time to 20 minutes.

* Start your walking in a relaxed but not a slouched posture.

* Concentrate on how your feet feel.

* Relax your arms.

* Gently focus about three to six feet in front of you as you walk.

In conclusion, walking meditation is a practice that is easy to add into your daily exercise. Along with taking care of your body’s well-being, you will also be enhancing the well-being of your mind and spirit.

Enjoy your walk!!

Walking is known to provide clear health benefits for your body. It’s good for your heart, helps you burn calories, and it is good for your circulation.

But what you may not have thought about is this: combining your walking time with meditation to enhance the value of your walking. Most people take up walking because it’s an excellent form of exercise, it minimizes injuries and there is no learning curve; everyone knows how to walk.

There’s no special equipment required. You just start walking and you are immediately on the path to excellent health. If you combine this with meditation, or mindful walking, you will find the benefits immeasurable.

So what is walking meditation, or mindful walking? It is when you deliberately focus on your every step. You don’t have to increase your speed, in fact, you might begin by walking slower so you can get the hang of mindful walking.

When you focus on your walking, focus on how it feels as you raise your foot then place it back down, one step at a time. The practice of mindful walking has its roots in Buddhism, in particular the art of Ayatana. Christianity also has its version of walking meditation: walking the labyrinth.

Using walking as meditation helps you stay focused on the here and now. As you become more skilled at this practice, you will find yourself better able to let go of your worries and stress.

Common forms of meditation have you sitting with eyes closed, concentrating within. With walking meditation, your eyes are wide open, absorbing the outside world. This gives you the opportunity to break away from the mind and all its clutter; a priceless tool, especially for us westerners

Here are some basic tips for walking meditation:

* It is best to conduct your walking meditation in an area that you are comfortable with.

* Shoot for a 20 minute time period. If that is too long for you, start with a 5 minute period and gradually increase your time to 20 minutes.

* Start walking with a relaxed posture.

* Focus on the sensations in your feet.

* Let your arms relax, down by your side.

* As you walk, keep your focus about 3 to 6 feet in front of you.

In conclusion, it is very easy to incorporate walking meditation into your regular daily routine. Not only will it improve your physical well-being, but you will also be taking your exercise program to a higher level by improving your mind and spirit.

Just start walking.

This brief article explains a few things about Tai Chi, and if you’re interested, then read on, as you never know what you may discover.

Tai Chi is an ancient practice that has its origins in China and it involves slow, intentional and methodic movements to stretch and strengthen various muscles in your body. It also creates an wonderful sense of well-being.

It is based on the knowledge that you can control certain aspects of your body to help accelerate inner healing – both physically and mentally. The specific Tai Chi forms are designed to stretch and strengthen your muscles and bones.

By performing the specific forms within a Tai Chi program, you can tighten up loose muscles and also, loosen up muscles that are too tight! Your muscles are then strengthened to allow for more endurance, which helps reduce the risk of injury.

If you experience pain in the joint areas, you can utilize Tai Chi to increase your range of motion within those joints, which, in turn, can help lessen your pain. With Tai Chi you experience increased flexability and can endure more physical activity.

If you have problems with balance, you can use the Tai Chi forms to train your body to move from its center which provides stability for your body. It strengthens your core every time you practice it.

Those of you have had little or no exposure to Tai Chi now have at least a basic understanding of the practice. But there’s more to come.

With the practice of Tai Chi balance within your mind can also be developed. When stress dominates your life, your mind suffers for it. Tai Chi teaches you how to focus your energies off of your stress and on to inner peace and relaxation. The practice of Tai Chi gradually increases your sense of calm and decreases your level of anxiety.

Many of those who practice Tai Chi report that they are more easily able to snap out of their mental fog, which may be a result of an increase in the oxygen flow promoted by Tai Chi. Aside from theses mental perks, Tai Chi also helps the body’s organs function at an optimal level.

Certain medical conditions and diseases improve through the regular use of Tai Chi. If you have issues with high blood pressure, for instance, Tai Chi can help stabilize your pressure to safer levels. Tai Chi is also beneficial in strengthening your immune system.

Tai Chi is more a way of life than an exercise. Traditional exercises are used for firming muscles,improving blood flow and burning calories. Tai Chi does that, too, but it has the potential to do so much more for you.

It works – not just on the body – but on your mind as well. It benefits the whole package instead of just concentrating on one area of improvement

There is increased enthusiasm for the practice of Tai Chi. When people start looking for more information on Tai Chi, you’ll be in a position to answer their questions. You may even begin practicing yourself.