What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is observing the observer. You are the witness to everything happening in your life. In your world. You are the judge of everything happening around you. You are the creator of all your problems and solutions. Mindfulness is looking back at yourself to understand what is happeining. If you would like to know more about mindfulness following articles would help.
Mindfulness definition, goals, usefulness and mental objects.
However it is time to put our wisdom into practise, and here I would detail about mindful walking.
Mindful walking.
We have done mindful walking, naturally. I have walked on the beach, walked in the park, walked in forest and even on mountain tops. But have I been mindful? Of course I have been aware of the walking, otherwise I couldn't have remember what happened. But when we learn about mindfulness, we learn that the true goal of mindfulness is to observe what happens in the mind, not in the enviornment. So, basically I have done was just watching a film. I have forgotton the observer, I cannot remember what was there inside the mind when I took such a walk, did I learn anything about my mind during such walks. No, I didn't because I did not know how to walk mindfully. But now I have a better understanding, hence here is how to do it properly.
What is not mindful walking?
It is important to understand what is not mindful walking.
Mindful walking is not walking, to appriciate the nature.
Mindful walking is not walking, to relieve your stress.
Mindful walking is not walking, to get away from your problems.
Mindful walking is not walking, just doing nothinng. As you would understand doing, nothing is also doing. (doer and non doer)
What is mindful walking then?
All of the above you would understand, is trying to do something, hence, there is craving or greed to, appriciate the nature, to relieve the stress, to get away from your problems, and to do nothing. However, mindfulness in walking is just to observe the observer.
Idea of mindful walking is to be aware of what happens in mind while walking. Look for yourself, look for your thoughts. Look at images formed in your mind mirror and just observe. Until the mind understand what is happening.
In mindful walking, you would appriciate the nature, and you would notice that you are appriciating.
In mindful walking, you would relieve your stress, and you would notice that stress is going away.
In mindful walking, you will forget your problems, and you would notice your problems are distancing.
In mindful walking, you would notice sometimes you think, sometimes you feel, sometimes you hear, and you would notice when thoughts arise, and thoughts leave.
More importantly, at the end of the walk you would notice, you gained nothing, and you lost nothing. It is just a walk. You would have memories of sunsets, and you would notice, that they are no longer there. And mindfulness will carry on to whatever you plan to do next. And it would not matter.
So, In mindfulness walking, principle is the same as any mindfulness. Like mindful eating. Mindful listening. Let, it be. Whatever mental object comes to your mind is ok, as long as you are aware of it. It may be a sensation on your feet. It may be breath. It may be a point of focus at the end of your path. It may be a sound. And most likely it maybe a combination of all of these. The wholesomeness and momentum and wisdom will do the rest, as long as you are aware.
I am newbie to mindfulness. Just like a small plant. And I see it has a natural tendency to grow. Ever since I started the blog I do my own mindfulness meditation. Obviously I have other resources to look at when I do it. And whatever which seems valuable would be written down here. Even myself can go through in a future time.
How is your mindfulness walking today?
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