Caṅkama
Meditation at walking pace, the foot's rise, move and place; for minds that go stirry the moment they sit still.
Practice Buddhist caṅkama; the walking passages of Indian monasteries
How to practise
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Find a quiet lane or a 5–10 metre stretch you can walk back and forth.
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Stand still a moment; feel the whole body standing.
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Walk noticeably slower than normal; with each step know, lifting, moving, placing.
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At the lane's end, stop fully; turn with awareness; continue.
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Attention on the feet soles and the ankles' work, speed can stay near-normal outdoors.
Effects & fruits
- A workable door for restless (vāta-type) minds that sitting defeats
- Links meditation into ordinary movement, streets, corridors, gardens
- Aids digestion and settles the body after long sitting
- Traditionally the companion of sitting, not its replacement
Precautions
- Practise where the path is safe and level; eyes stay open
- Traffic and headphones do not mix with this practice
In the tradition
Every old Indian monastery grew worn walking paths, the caṅkamana; for exactly the minds that today pace their flats between meetings. The practice concedes nothing to sitting: many teachers say the Buddha himself walked into his deepest hours.
Sources & further reading
- Caṅkama, the walking practice , the Buddha's monastic discipline (Vinaya / commentaries) (the walking paths (caṅkamana) of the early monasteries)
- The Heart of Yoga , T. K. V. Desikachar