Consciously Creating Your Day Through a Walking Meditation by Sharon Taphorn l Walking Meditations l Meditation and Nature l Mindfulness and Meditation l Connecting with Nature

Start Your Day in a Sacred Way

Preferably take your walk in the morning, out in nature, in the forest, on the shoreline or in a park, as this also offers you clean air to rejuvenate your cells and being. Walk for at least 10 minutes or more.

Begin with a small invocation that opens you up to the earth and expands your awareness, then, take each step with the intention to feel and see more than ever before. Sense the feelings of your feet as they take each step and touch the ground. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds all around you. What do you hear? What do you feel?

If you can walk barefoot upon the earth, take off your shoes and feel her. Feel the energy that she gives and allow for these sensations to permeate your entire being and consciously take each step forward.

Step One: Setting Your Intention

A walking meditation helps keep your thoughts and feelings in perspective. You are worth the effort of this practice as it helps to alleviate stress and maintain your inner balance and harmony which then affects everyone you touch throughout your day.

Say a prayer either silently to yourself, from your heart and connecting to the love of the Creator, or preferably out loud with the same conviction: "Let the beauty and wonder of the world around me feed and rejuvenate me and all of my being. And when I walk with intention on this good earth, I am sharing back my light and healing with everything and all that is."

Or another prayer: “Let each step that I take be conscious and aware, and connect me to the love, the wisdom and the knowledge that my surroundings wish to share with me and open me up to all that is.”

Step Two: Become Aware of Each Step

As you take each step, feel the energy of the earth. If you can walk barefoot, you will receive an additional healing by grounding yourself naturally. If you are unable to walk barefoot, consciously visualize a connection from the bottom of your foot into the earth. This helps to expand your energy and your connection to include a new resonance or expanded awareness and connection to the world around you.

Take a step and ask yourself how this feels. Feel for any messages or insights that this conscious moment and connection brings to mind. Be open to the experience, even if it feels strange in that moment. Release those thoughts and feelings. Tune into the moment and the feelings that are yours now.

Step Three: Feel the Trees

As you continue your walk and your assessment of the world around you, let us consciously connect to the energy of trees. Each tree is connected to the earth through its roots and helps to keep us alive through its process of life.

When you stand just outside of the area of the tree and connect with it, you will find a new experience and new sensations. Feel the exchange of life force as you feed each other what you need. Connect with its heart and its connection with the earth and allow yourself to receive this gift of life.

Do you have a new awareness or insight from this beautiful exchange?

And for the very brave, give your tree a hug and thank it for the experience. The love will grow.

Step Four: Connect With Birds or the Animals

Sit for a moment and be very still. Tune into the love that earth has to offer. Tune into something else in your environment: the birds, the bees, a butterfly, a puppy dog, a deer.

Whatever is available to you that is alive with life force (as you become more accustomed to what is around you), ask to feel or tune into their experience. Then just be in that moment for a time. Feel the love, sunlight, rain; feel the sensations that they experience and just be in that energy.

You are consciously placing yourself in the space between spaces and feeling the world from a new perspective for humankind. There is great beauty to be found here.