Walking meditation

My preferred form of meditation is to walk.

The basic elements occur naturally, one following-on from another. By focusing first on the breath, it will dictate an open upright posture, and balance will come from knowing that the centre of the body resides in the diaphragm along with the breath. In motion the focus shifts when the eyes are allowed to rise naturally to the open horizon; not a point of constant attention, but the place they come back to, again and again, as you let-go of distracting emotions and thoughts - from a past which is gone, and a future that is unknowable. With the eyes to the horizon and with good posture, then the feet will start to follow the contours of the ground and as if by magic, a ‘bodyscan’ occurs all on it’s own, as the right muscles are stretched, then relaxed along with stressful feelings and thoughts. A ‘mantra’ can be found in the pace and rhythm of the stride, but it must be flexible enough to change in an instance, for walking consistently and repetitively down a ‘made’ road may bring a kind of temporary bliss, but will soon narrow the horizon and an open future.