Monthly Archives: July 2010

I’ve just finished tying my shoes, I’ve had a long drink of water and I’m ready to hit the road. It’s just before six am on a hot summer morning and I’m waiting a few more minutes for a little bit more daylight before I go on my morning walk. Finally, I see streaks of light in the sky and the dawn gives way to morning. I can still see the moon shining brightly as I head up the hill. Streaks of pink decorate the soft, hazy clouds. The air is hot and damp. The oppressive humidity holds no movement–not a single breeze to cool my face which is already damp with sweat.

Sometimes I walk with my ipod headphones in my ears. I usually listen to podcasts or my upbeat workout music. But this morning I leave aside the ear buds and walk in silence. My feet already know the pace that will allow me to achieve my ideal heart rate. This morning I am going to do a walking meditation, which is a mindfulness exercise where I focus in on my breath but also on every movement of my body. My attention zeroes in on the way my heels strike the earth purposefully and with a specific rhythm. Rolling forward the rest of my foot strikes the earth one by one propelling my body forward. I can feel my strong ankles and the muscles in my calves flexing and receding with every step. The ball and socket in my hip where each leg joins up with the pelvic bone allows for a fluid motion for each step. With each swig of my arms I can feel a gentle twist in my waist and my strong shoulders are squared as they support my neck and head.

Tuning in to the subtle movements of the body and witnessing the breath moving in and out is a way to quiet the mind and ground the body’s energy. I enjoy walking meditation because it is active. Sitting meditation has always been a bit of a challenge for me. My monkey mind seldom seems to want to settle down enough so that I can achieve a meditative state easily. One those occasions when I can successfully sit in meditation it’s a like a rare, treasured gift.

In addition to being beneficial for the mind and spirit, walking meditation also helps keep the physical body healthy and fit. Walking is a great way to burn fat, increase circulation and trim and tone your muscles. It’s important to walk at a fast enough pace that you are huffing and puffing a bit, but you can still talk.

If you think you might want to try walking meditation, but you think you might not be able to maintain focus on your breath, or on your body’s movements there are some guided meditations that you can listen to as you walk to get you used to a more mindful approach rather than just allowing your thoughts to wander off unfettered. Once you’ve done the guided meditations for awhile it’s good to take the time to practice silent walking meditation. It’s amazing how quickly you discover how undisciplined your mind has become, and you’ll be surprised that with just a bit of consistent effort, you can train your mind to focus and get clear. Try to remember who’s in charge here.

Sharon Salzberg’s Walking Meditations
http://bit.ly/as0cN6

Buddhist Guided Walking Meditation
http://bit.ly/aL87fy

Walking Meditation for Presence, Relaxation and Aliveness
3 Guided Meditations by Mary Maddux
http://bit.ly/dw4JUJ

Have you ever tried walking meditation? Please feel free to share your experiences by leaving a comment.

Last evening I attended my first Toastmasters meeting since my college days. The first meeting I attended back in the day was an assignment for speech class, but this time I went of my own accord because I would like to brush up on my public speaking skills and get more comfortable speaking in front of an audience and groups again. I don’t have the fear of public speaking that many people are plagued with, and I thank God for that. When I was in college, there were several occasions where I gave speeches, and I actually enjoyed it.

On one occasion, when I was speaking at a Black History Month event, I remember that the audience began to smile and chuckle, but I was a bit disconcerted because what I was speaking about was not necessarily funny. It turns out that my daughter, who was about 2 1/2 at the time, had escaped my mother’s grasp and had crept up to the podium and she wrapped herself around my leg and stayed there for the duration of my speech.

The other day when I was chatting with a client about ways that she could prepare herself for public speaking, I recommended that she try Toastmasters. As I was describing this national organization that was formed as a way to help people develop their public speaking and leadership skills, I realized that maybe I needed to re-visit Toastmasters for myself.

Because I was already familiar with what Toastmasters is all about, I just went to the national website and did a search on my zip code. Turns out there are hundreds of Toastmasters chapters in the D.C. area, but there is also one that meets about three blocks from my house at a church on Pennsylvania Avenue. So, last night I ventured out and paid this meeting a visit. It’s a small club with just 21 members, but only about 9 people were in attendance last night. I felt welcomed to the group, I was invited to speak on two occasions, and I was thrilled to witness the installation of their new slate of officers for the year.

This group seems very supportive and I think that it will be a good place for me to get back on my feet and feeling at ease behind the podium again. I would like to get back into public speaking, and I could also add speech writing to my repertoire of services for my clients. I do, however, still plan to visit another Toastmaster’s group that meets in downtown D.C. that has more of a corporate focus. I really want to stretch myself, and this group feel very nurturing–I mean they meet in the fellowship hall at a church for goodness sake. In order to get the constructive criticism and exposure to a tougher audience, I may want to check out another group to see what I find.

Of course, I’ll keep you posted on what I decide, but I’m eager to get going now that I have been exposed to this fabulous opportunity to grow and develop my skills and abilities.

I just got back from a Yoga class and I am feeling especially yummy and blissful. My client and friend, Pattie Cinelli, teaches a fabulous Sunday afternoon Vinyasa Flow Yoga class on Sunday afternoons at Results on Capitol Hill.

She started us out with a nice, long warm-up of deep stretches and careful attention to form. Following the warm-up we moved into a surya namaskar series (sun salutations) and then a nice Vinyasa flow where you use your breath to move from one pose to the next. It was so gratifying to feel the difference in how open my hips and shoulders were from one series to the next.

Pattie is a fabulous teacher with over 25 years of experience as a yoga teacher and fitness trainer. What I enjoy about working with Pattie is that she approaches fitness from a mindful, spiritual place. She tells us to do our Yoga form the inside out and to remember that the purpose of the practice is to quiet and center the mind not to twist the body into impossible contortions.

Now I am home preparing a simple supper of curried fish, steamed corn and Broccoli and as I move through preparing this meal that will feed my physical body the pungent aromas and the anticipation of the delicious, exotic flavors also nourishes my soul. Doing Yoga reminds me to focus in and be mindful of my breath, my movements, my intentions and even my words.

Yoga is just one part of my self-care regimen. I love how it serves so many of my needs all at once. It thoroughly relaxes and centers me, it works my body and it feeds my spiritual connection to the Divine within. When I take this time away from my girls and my life it fulfills and renews me so that when I return I have more to give after having replenished the well.