Balancing walking and sitting meditation

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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tiltbillings
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Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Post by tiltbillings »

Samma wrote:Note that that is in a retreat environment where you are practicing a long time.
What is worth noting is that retreat instructions are not necessarily optimal for daily life practice. With walking meditation one can experiment to find what works. And because walking meditation is an active physical activity, it can be a very good way of cultivating concentration and mindfulness that can be a good carry-over into one's daily activities.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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zavk
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Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Post by zavk »

tiltbillings wrote:With walking meditation one can experiment to find what works. And because walking meditation is an active physical activity, it can be a very good way of cultivating concentration and mindfulness that can be a good carry-over into one's daily activities.
Yes, yes. I'll be honest... I didn't cultivate walking meditation regularly until recently. I can't say exactly why I was reluctant to do it in the past - maybe I got too comfortable (caught in conceit, even) with sitting, maybe I thought that walking meditation wasn't as 'deep' (however one measures that for oneself), maybe I thought walking was a 'cop out'. But if anyone is ambivalent about walking meditation and/or is curious - I'd say give it a go, especially if you are working in a desk job. Experiment with it for a week or so; around 30 minutes a day. Then see how you feel about it.
With metta,
zavk
Sylvester
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Re: Balancing walking and sitting meditation

Post by Sylvester »

tiltbillings wrote:
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.

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