Zen Filter

Zen Buddhist websites, news, and discussion

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Zen walking.

Zen Man Walking:

This is a zen meditation technique to carry open focus meditation into motion, which suits both beginners and advanced practitioners of zen meditation.
While standing up with your feet together, make a loose and relaxed fist with your left hand, with your thumb tucked into the fist, and place it on your heart. Cup your right hand on your fist and keep the forearms at a downward 45 � angle. Relax your shoulders.
Enter open focus.
When ready, take a very slow deep breath while you lift your left foot starting with your heel and peeling your foot off the floor until your toe tips are your only contact point with the floor, and place it 1\2 foot ahead of your right foot, toe tips first.
From this point, you start exhaling very slowly, and simultaneously start pressing your left foot onto the floor, from tip to heel.
When your left heel touches the ground, while you peel your right foot off the floor stop exhaling and transfer your weight onto your left foot. Repeat the process by peeling your right food off the ground heel first while taking a slow deep breath, and putting it on the floor toe tips first 1\2 foot in front of the left foot.
Press your right foot on the floor toes to heel while exhaling deeply.
Keep your spine erect and the small of your back slightly arched in.
Keep practicing this zen walking meditation for 6 minutes.
Let your zen walking meditation gentle, flowing and relaxed.
Remember it is a meditation and not a struggle.

2 Comments:

Blogger Ole Blue The Heretic said...

I have tried it and like it. Zen walking or any walking for that matter relaxes the mind.

11:28 AM  
Blogger Tor said...

Walking meditation is especially useful on daylong retreats, to provide some variety from various sitting meditations. It also is something anybody can do as they go about their day. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote that he practices it when he's walking through airports.

11:07 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Listed on BlogShares