Walking Yoga Is a New Take on Moving Meditation

The integration of mindfulness and movement is not a new endeavor. In fact, one could argue that any type of movement becomes mindful when you’re striving for a certain level of awareness. But sometimes, getting intentional about how you’re moving can transform your chosen activity into something approximating meditation—as with the trend of “walking yoga.”

Walking yoga is an approach to walking meditation that asks that you meet the moment—in this case, being aware of your steps—and focusing less on your thoughts and more on what you’re doing and the world around you. The practice has been gaining popularity in recent months, mentioned in movement programs (there’s even a designated app) and across social media.

At its core, walking yoga is about aligning your breath with your steps. But paying extra attention and even enjoying a natural-feeling yoga pose factors in, too. Think elements of your yoga practice, adapted for an on-the-move moment. Like other mindfulness tricks (think glimmers and savoring), walking yoga is about transmuting an everyday activity into an avenue of profound presence, all without having to sit in stillness if that’s not your thing.

The Benefits of Moving Meditation

Moving meditation, especially walking meditation, has been the focus of ample research. Mindful walks are proven to reduce anxiety and stress and a low-impact means of supporting both your mental health and overall physical health. And any approach that combines positive pursuits—in this case, moving your body and quieting your mind—is the sort of habit stacking that simplifies your life while potentially boosting the efficacy of both practices. W

5 Ways to Make Any Walk a Yoga Walk

If staying mindful while getting your steps in feels like a challenge (after all, zoning out to a podcast does have its time and place), these tips can help you start small and build up to the meditative part.

1. Try naming things

If you find it tough to get out of your head, even (or perhaps especially) on a calming walk, noticing and naming things around you can help encourage grounding. Choose something specific, like a color (color walks are also trending for similar reasons), an animal, or a type of tree or flowers and simply commit to noticing it—nothing more, nothing less.

2. Incorporate breathwork

Incorporating breathing exercises is one of the simplest ways to practice walking yoga. As mentioned, you can start by synchronizing breath and step, inhaling with one set of sets and exhaling with the next. Once you’ve got that down, adding other pranayama, or breathing techniques, can help still your mind and enhance your sense of presence. Try box breathing, equal breathing, alternate nostril breathing, or lion’s breath to see which pattern of inhalations and exhalations work best for you.

3. Slow down

Step count and a brisk pace can be worthy goals, but why not try slowing down for a spell? Purposefully slowing your walking and breathing patterns may feel unnatural at first, but soon you’ll find that a reduced gait comes with even more opportunities for intentionality. Once walking yoga becomes second nature, changing up your pace might make sense. But as with most things, it’s best to start slow.

4. Check in with your body

You’re already spending quality time with your body, so try turning some of that thoughtfulness to your physical form. Try listening to a guided body scan meditation or conducting one yourself by mentally moving from head to toe (or vice versa) and noticing each of your many, many body parts. Pay attention to how each element moves, feels, and works in tandem with the rest of your body to propel you down your chosen path.

5. Strike a pose

Yes, you can do some actual yoga while on your walking yoga journey. Pause for a few breaths in a standing pose such as Mountain Pose, Tree Pose, or even a half Sun Salutation as a subtle reset. As a bonus, you’ll be stretching different areas of the body.