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We appreciate your interest in today's Meditation
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Life Skills podcast. We're sincerely grateful
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for your support. This is a mindful walking practice
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for us to practice at home in a quiet room where
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we have a little space to walk around or perhaps
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outside if we have some quiet outside space.
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And it can help us to more fully notice sensations
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of walking, if it's possible to remove our shoes.
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So if possible, starting by removing our shoes,
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if this is okay for you. And then finding a place
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to stand. Standing with the feet about a hip
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-width apart, with each foot firmly grounded
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and planted on the floor. Standing upright and
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straight. but not stiffly, and allowing our arms
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to hang loosely from our shoulders, allowing
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our shoulders to drop and our head to remain
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upright, supported by our neck. Bringing awareness
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to our body in this moment, what sensations are
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around right now? Allowing the breath to breathe
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itself in the background, whilst directing our
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awareness to our feet. and the contact between
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the soles of our feet and the floor beneath.
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What sensations are in this part of our body
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right now? And then, bringing our awareness up
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our legs, into our hips, pelvis, into our back
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and abdomen and chest, our arms, shoulders and
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head. And just standing. Starting now by gently
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bending our knees just slightly and then straightening
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our knees a couple of times. So bending and straightening.
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And when we do this, noticing sensations in our
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legs, in our feet, in our upper body. What happens
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in our body as we bend and straighten our knees?
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Perhaps noticing changes in the muscles as we
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move, tightening and loosening. Noticing changes
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in our sense of balance. And now, with the knees
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straight and feet firmly planted on the floor,
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starting by gently moving our body forward towards
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the toes. Keeping our feet on the floor. What's
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happening in the soles of our feet as we shift
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our body weight forward towards the toes? Noting
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changes to muscles in the legs and the back.
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Now bring our body weight back to the centre.
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And then shifting our body weight gently backwards
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towards our heels, keeping our feet firmly planted
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on the floor. And noticing sensations in our
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body as we shift our weight. Sensations in our
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feet, our legs, our back. And coming back to
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the centre once again. And whilst keeping our
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feet on the floor, shifting our body to our left
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foot. What do we notice in our body? Now shifting
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our body to our right foot. What do we notice
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in our legs? In our right leg, our left leg as
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we do this. Then returning to the centre with
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our weight evenly distributed between our left
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and right legs and between the front and the
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back of our body. And now with the next in -breath
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slowly beginning to move the right heel upwards.
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keeping our right toes in contact with the floor.
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Bring our full awareness to any sensations in
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our body, in our feet, in our legs. And now lifting
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our right foot off the floor, moving it slowly
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forward and, with an out -breath, placing the
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right heel down on the floor. What's happening
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in the body right now? And now allowing the right
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toes to move down to the floor whilst at the
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same time bringing the left heel up with an in
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-breath. Noting the contact between the soles
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of our feet and the floor. Between our heel and
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the air. The sensations of movement. And now
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with the right foot firmly planted on the floor
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lifting the left foot slowly up and forward and
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with an out -breath placing the left heel down
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in front of us allowing the toes to follow whilst
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the heel of the right foot begins to lift with
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the next in -breath and repeating this movement
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slowly and bringing our curiosity and interest
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to each sensation that we notice, each small
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movement. Bringing the heel of one foot up with
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an in -breath. Bringing a heel down with an out
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-breath. And now, beginning to walk slowly around
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the area you are in. in this way keeping our
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awareness in our body noticing sensations in
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the soles of our feet as we walk noticing sensations
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in our legs what's happening in our legs in our
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muscles our bones the contact between our skin
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and the clothes we're wearing as we move, what's
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happening in our back and shoulders, our arms
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and head. and bringing our full interest and
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curiosity to each new step remembering that each
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step we're walking for the very first time synchronizing
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as best we can the in -breath as we lift the
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foot up and the out -breath as we place a foot
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down. Walking in this way, paying attention to
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walking. And if the space allows, where you are,
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practicing changing the speed of the walk perhaps
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walking a little more quickly practicing making
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slower movements and all the while Bringing our
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interest and attention to the sensations in our
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body as we walk. And now with the next step,
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coming to stand. And again, bring the feet parallel
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or hip widths apart. Just gently rocking on the
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feet, forward and backwards, from left to right.
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before bringing our body back to the centre.
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Standing. And allowing the arms to hang loosely
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from the shoulders. And just as we bring this
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practice to a close, bringing awareness to the
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whole of the body. Awareness of the breath in
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the background, breathing. Just taking a few
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moments to settle. before bringing this practice
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to a close and knowing that we can bring mindfulness
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to walking in other parts of our day.