Most of us make the assumption that meditation needs to be done sitting in total silence for a structured period of time. While this kind of formal meditation definitely has its benefits, there are many ways to incorporate meditation into your life in informal ways that can make it more accessible within busy schedules. An informal meditation that I use regularly is walking meditation. I find this easy to implement since I do a fair amount of walking, and I am interested in accruing the benefits of mindfulness even when I do not always have time to sit. I use either one or a combination of below methods below and I encourage you to give them a try as well. Remember that it is normal to get distracted while doing them but just keep bringing your attention back to whatever focus you choose and your mind will eventually learn to find a meditative state.

Synchronize your breath with your footfalls. Try inhaling for two steps then exhaling for two steps.

Count your steps. Count up to eight with eight footfalls, then count down from eight with eight more footfalls.

Use your senses. Start with your sense of sight by taking in and noting to yourself all the things you see in your landscape. Then move to your sense of sound – listen for the closest sound, the furthest sound noting all the sounds in between. Feel the physical sensation of the sun or the wind. Finally, tune in to all the smells.

We hope you enjoy implementing these strategies. If you need help calming your mind we can be reached at (514) 223 5327.

Written by: Shawna Atkins, Ph.D., OPQ