Walking Meditation versus Sitting

Jeffrey

I have had a lot of stressful body feeling and have been doing as much sitting as I can stand (maybe 10 minutes) and then do 20 minutes walking to go the full 30 of my day.

Does anyone have any thoughts on walking and sitting? I think it's good to sort of stretch my body pains out for the sitting but I feel more at ease walking and more calm. For my walking method I feel my body and be aware of the room in a bright non-thinking sort of way. When I day dream I just go back to that ^^^ again.

So what do you think of either?

karasti

I usually start with walking because activity helps slow my mind, then I sit. Most people have the opposite experience, and find walking meditation leads to more straying because of the variety of visual stimulus. I am also a kinesthetic learner, so perhaps that is why. I think whatever works for you, works. Even though the most common type of meditation is sitting, is it not the only type. I do more walking than I used to (because of my stiff knee) and have found it most beneficial to my practice. I do it barefoot, even when outside because the connection with the earth grounds me (and has since I was a very young child). Work terrifically. In fact, any insight I've ever had, even prior to being Buddhist, has come from movement as a form of meditation.

how

In Zen, the walking meditation is supposed to just be a physically active equivalent of sitting meditation.
As one is open to all the sense gates in sitting meditation, so it is with walking meditation.
As one is an observer of all arising and departing phenomena in sitting meditation, so it is with walking meditation.

Sorry to hear of your stress in meditation. My stress in meditation has always turned out to be a big sign saying...Who do you think you are protecting?.. followed by the eventual surrendering up of another part of my dream (identity).

lobster

Barefoot grounding works well. I can not walk slowly enough publicly in a city . . . So I walk more for exercise and introspection. At the moment my sitting has changed to eyes closed. Situation, mind, body changes . . .
There are other options too . . . for example dharma study whilst being mindful of the breath . . .
Playing/reciting medicine buddha mantra as much as possible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaisajyaguru
http://www.tonglen.oceandrop.org/prayers/Medicine_Buddha.htm

Jeffrey

@lobster, I think barefoot feels good. We have a 25 foot by 8 foot space between our dining table/room and our living room area. I usually walk there so I can do it however I want.

@how, I do kind of two types of walking. One is very shamata being mindful of my body as I slowly walk. The other (more often outdoors) you have your senses in nature open and you drop storylines. Both in some ways are the same even as sitting and so equal to each other. But the two methods feel different. The second is more uplifting and energetic. The slow one is more like resting in the bodies energies rather than the uplift of the senses.

Sabre

I've had great results from both and think they are not essentially different. You can approach them in a similar way.

But remember the other tread where I gave some advice on leaving the body consciousness behind? That's more easy in sitting meditation because there is less movement in the body. I'm not sure if walking meditation can reach that point, although I think it can. But that's not saying I advice you to sit more and walk less, because what works for you is what you should do.

You can also consider meditation lying down if that helps with the pain. You may be more likely to fall asleep, but that's not a big problem. Sleeping is not unwholesome.