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Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:13 am
by purple planet
how important is the balancing ?
if someone cant do walking meditation how can he meditate well ?

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:31 am
by Kim OHara
I've always thought of walking meditation as the 'optional extra' - mostly as a break from the sitting, for those who need one.
Maybe I've always been wrong,though. :thinking:

:namaste: Kim

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:40 am
by tiltbillings
Kim O'Hara wrote:I've always thought of walking meditation as the 'optional extra' - mostly as a break from the sitting, for those who need one.
Maybe I've always been wrong,though. :thinking:

:namaste: Kim
Actually, walking meditation can be a primary meditation practice and it certainly can be so when one is struggling with sleepiness. It is a practice worth seriously working with.

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:26 pm
by LonesomeYogurt
From my own experience, walking meditation takes just as much effort and practice as sitting meditation - you probably won't get much benefit out of it if you don't at least do a little bit every day. Doing a small session before you sit is a great way to calm the mind and get it ready for the more intense concentration of traditional on-the-cushion meditation..

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:47 pm
by purple planet
Also asking on the opposite - is it good to do just sitting - in the ajahn tong - way of meditation they say its important to balance

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:55 pm
by Polar Bear
Balance is definitely ideal. But it can be harder to find a quiet place to do walking meditation than it is to do sitting meditation in one's own home. That's my problem, I live 350 feet from the freeway in southern california and I'm in a dense suburb so there isn't any area I can go to that's secluded. But if you have a place to do walking meditation you should do it. Besides, it's healthy for your body as well as your mind.

:anjali:

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:13 pm
by tiltbillings
If one does not have a long path on which to do walking practice, one can do it on a very short path and inside. In that case it would be a matter of slowing down the walking. This is something one can experiment with, trying different ways to see what works.

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:30 pm
by Polar Bear
tiltbillings wrote:If one does not have a long path on which to do walking practice, one can do it on a very short path and inside. In that case it would be a matter of slowing down the walking. This is something one can experiment with, trying different ways to see what works.
Thanks for the tip Tilt, I'll start doing that.


:anjali:

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:40 pm
by LonesomeYogurt
tiltbillings wrote:If one does not have a long path on which to do walking practice, one can do it on a very short path and inside. In that case it would be a matter of slowing down the walking. This is something one can experiment with, trying different ways to see what works.
Or a circle/semi-circle, if you have an open space in your living room or bedroom.

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:41 pm
by tiltbillings
polarbuddha101 wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:If one does not have a long path on which to do walking practice, one can do it on a very short path and inside. In that case it would be a matter of slowing down the walking. This is something one can experiment with, trying different ways to see what works.
Thanks for the tip Tilt, I'll start doing that.


:anjali:
You are welcome. Walking meditation kind of gets neglected. It is a bit of work/time to get a sense of what walking meditation is about, but it is worth the effort.

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:42 pm
by tiltbillings
LonesomeYogurt wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:If one does not have a long path on which to do walking practice, one can do it on a very short path and inside. In that case it would be a matter of slowing down the walking. This is something one can experiment with, trying different ways to see what works.
Or a circle/semi-circle, if you have an open space in your living room or bedroom.
Yes.

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:54 am
by badscooter
Heard a story that Ananda reached enlightenment while doing walking meditation... This could be totally false, dont know how legit the source is....but still its nice to see some others find this practice very important and practical!

may all be well

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:16 am
by mikenz66
Here is a reference to Ananda, who achieved full awakening between standing and lying down...
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 20#p227720" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:anjali:
Mike

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 5:24 am
by purple planet
lol sorry i wasnt clear - im not asking if to do walking meditation i have no doubt its good -

just that in the mahasi sayadaw technique - if i understand correctly they say you should balance the walking with sitting - so i ask except from how important is the balancing
if someone cant walk how does it work for him and if i can do more walking than sitting (or more sitting) should i do more walking on the expense of balancing ?

this question i guess is for whoever heared about the need for balancing

Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 6:01 pm
by Samma
Q12: Venerable Sir, what is the purpose for the rotation of one­hour sitting and one­hour walking
in practice?
Mahasi Sayadaw: Too much walking tends to arouse more energy (viriya) but less concentration (samadhi). So one is scheduled to sit and walk alternately an hour each. Thus, the balance can be kept between concentration and energy.

Note that that is in a retreat environment where you are practicing a long time. If you have less time, often people will walk less, sit more. Sitting too long is just not good for the body. There is working with pain, but you don't want to injure yourself. Certainly teachers will suggest sitting for longer periods if trying more to deepen concentration. And if your energy/effort seems week try walking.

Also check out: http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh464-p.html#ThaiForest" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;