Why You Can't Meditate (And What to Do About It) - Can't Sit Still?
Monday, December 10, 2012 at 03:17PM This article is the second in a series on obstacles to meditation. Many of us have the intention to meditate regularly, yet our actual behavior can fall short of the goal. Rather than getting stuck in inactivity, regret, or self-criticism, it’s most constructive to figure out the nature of the difficulty and address it productively. This article is for people who have difficulty remaining seated during meditation.
Obstacle: I can’t sit still.
Whenever you try a seated meditation, you feel restless and jittery. It’s almost like ants are crawling all over your skin--on the inside! Almost involuntarily, you find yourself squirming, wriggling, and ultimately ending your meditation session abruptly. Sound familiar?
Many folks do have trouble with seated meditations, especially as beginners to the practice. In my experience, such people often have issues with anxiety or ADD/ADHD, too. The solution is relatively simple: don’t sit; walk instead.
Classically, meditation is practiced in four postures: sitting, standing, walking, and lying down. The idea basically is that we can be meditating in any position of the body. So, instead of forcing yourself to sit, a more compassionate, effective approach is to try a walking meditation.
You can practice this in two ways. First, you can attend to the physical sensations of walking, like the feeling on the soles of your feet when you make contact with the floor (and the absence of sensation when you lift each foot). Recently, I sprained my ankle, and I’ve been acutely aware of the feeling in my foot (mostly pain) as I walk. Each time I take stairs, I do so slowly, gingerly, and mindfully. What normally would have been a frustrating experience has become yet another opportunity for practice.
Second, you can make a mental note based on your physical movements. For example, you might attend to the process of walking by thinking “left” each time you take a step with your left foot, then “right” each time you move your right foot. Alternatively, as suggested by the meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, you could note “lift, move, place” in synchrony with each step. Depending on the kind of meditation that you’re doing, you might recite other words or phrases with each step. For me, “peace” and “love” are two nice ones.
We don’t need a lot of space to do a walking meditation. It can involve taking about a dozen steps forward, turning around slowly, and then coming back the other way.
So, next time you meditate, don’t just sit there! Get up, walk around, and try one of these suggestions.
Also, if you’re looking for other movement meditations, check out this article, 10 Unexpected Ways to Meditate, on Greatist by Sophia Breene. Thanks for the tips, Sophia!
obstacles, walking in Meditation 
Reader Comments (12)
It can involve taking about a dozen steps forward, turning around slowly, and then coming back the other way.
I’m not much of reader, I skipped like about 5 blogs, but yours was interesting , didn’t make me feel sleepy at all. Good Work.
would name your blog the dreamland! While Santa knocks at our door just once per year, you blog is open the whole year – wow!
I used to struggle to find stillness, until I learned to let it go. Meditating for 5 minutes a day was challenging, and now time gets away from me and 30 minutes pass in a flash. I write about finding balance in the 'burbs --- a little different from your blog topic, but similar. Mindfulness is difficult no matter where you live. (OK. Unless maybe you live in the woods.)
your post is just fantastic
You made a few good items presently there. We viewed on the web with the problem and discovered almost all persons will probably get along with using your website.
Your last sentence made me randomly think of the title of one of Osho's books that says almost the exact opposite: "Don't just do something, sit there!". I always get a smile on my face when I think of that title.
Meditation can indeed be done without needing a cushion or a mile of space to walk. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that meditation can be done while waiting on the subway with your eyes open simply looking around.
Meditation is the constant realization - and getting back to - a certain state of conscious. There is really nothing special about a certain type of walking or a certain type of sitting. You can meditate at any time of the day, the whole day if you want. Which is, I believe the ultimate goal: To always be in a state of meditation, in such a way that it becomes your default state.
Great data and that I love all the posts, I actually enjoyed, i would like a lot of info concerning this, as a result of its terribly nice… Thanks for sharing
Visit : Online Homeschooling Courses
great post
i read your article today i feel that your article is much better then others websites its my luck to reach your site because i forget your website link when i try search on google to find some zarda recipe there is a link of your website then i click on a link .1 year ago i visit your site now its totally change now its look very good now i read your other articles i appreciate your work.
Search Engine Optimization is the phrase used to describe optimizing your website for keyword and search engine recognition. The processes and areas involved with SEO eventually enable you to rank higher for the keywords you are targeting in popular search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.SEO automation
Search Engine Optimization is the phrase used to describe optimizing your website for keyword and search engine recognition. The processes and areas involved with SEO eventually enable you to rank higher for the keywords you are targeting in popular search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.SEO automation