Walking Meditation [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Author), Anh-Huong Nguyen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

What if every step you took deepened your connection with all of life and imprinted peace, joy, and serenity on the earth? With Walking Meditation, listeners enjoy the first comprehensive instructional program in this serene spiritual practice to help them walk with presence and peace of mind whether in nature or on a busy city street. Presented in a unique format that combines a book with a DVD and audio CD, Walking Meditation features esteemed Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh along with one of his principle students, Anh-Huong Nguyen, as they together illuminate the central tenets of this powerful art, including: ? How to recognize the miracle in simply walking?not as a means to an end, but as the opportunity to touch the fullness of life ? Reversing ?habit energy? through the unification of body and mind ? Using walking meditation to work with difficult emotions such as anger and anxiety, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh is an expatriate Vietnamese Buddhist monk, as well as a teacher, author, poet, and peace activist. Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 for his efforts to reconcile North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Hanh was part of a movement called "engaged Buddhism", which combines traditional practices with nonviolent civil disobedience, and he was exiled by both the Communist and non-Communist governments. He is a respected writer and scholar, and founded a retreat in France called Plum Village. Hanh has written several books, including The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: An Introduction to Buddhism, Peace Is Every Step, and Living Buddha, Living Christ.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591794730
• ISBN-13: 978-1591794738
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking Meditation DVD/CD/Book Set, November 26, 2006

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walking Meditation (Hardcover)

"Walking meditation is meditation while walking. We walk slowly, in a relaxed way, keeping a light smile on our lips. When we practice this way, we feel deeply at ease, and our steps are those of the most secure person on Earth. All our sorrows and anxieties drop away, and peace and joy fill our hearts. Anyone can do it. It takes only a little time, a little mindfulness, and the wish to be happy." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh teaches the importance of mindfulness and believes walking is not just a way to get from one place to another, "it is a time to live." Enjoying every step you make is more important than arriving at your new destination. Walking with a sense of peace and joy is explained more on the DVD as he demonstrates how to walk with a sense of joy.

He introduces the concepts of:

Walking in the present moment
The three basic elements of walking meditation
Where to practice walking meditation
Practicing walking meditation
The fourth element of walking meditation: Smiling

"Peace is every step
the shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.
~Tinh Thury

The CD introduces:

Conscious Breathing Meditation
Slow Walking Meditation
Walking Meditation in Nature
Walking Meditation in Public Places
Walking Meditation to Embrace Your Emotions

If you are looking for ways to exercise your soul as much as your body, then Walking Meditations can bring you more peace and give you new reasons to walk in nature.

Nguyen Anh-Huong's beautiful voice also leads you through a meditation where you learn to breathe more deeply and imagine yourself as a tree, with roots deep in the earth. The last three sections show you how to breathe and walk with purpose and joy.

Anyone who enjoys Yoga will also enjoy the meditations as they add new creative dimensions. This book is filled with poetic thoughts, new reasons to enjoy life and a embraces a nurturing place for your soul to grow.

"May flowers bloom beneath your feet." ~ pg. 53

~The Rebecca Review

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The WALKING MEDITATION is no walk in the park!, January 11, 2007

By 

S. Hall "book person" (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walking Meditation (Hardcover)

I am disabled. It is very hard for me to walk. However, with the Walking Meditation I find it much easier to walk, for the meditating gets one's mind off of the pain you're experiencing. I would recommend it for anyone who has difficulty in walking but wants to increase their walking capactiy. It is indeed a life saver for me.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a good introduction to mindfulness and provides a nice simple method for walking meditation, March 19, 2007

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Walking Meditation (Hardcover)

I teach meditation workshops and I'm a personal growth coach. I have a background in psychology and have studied meditation for many years. There is a lot of material out there on meditation and much of it is very good. However, there isn't very much literature on walking meditation.

What this CD provides is elementary mindfulness principles and a very simple walking practice to go along with these. This simple method is easily learned and the accompanying book reinforces the basic principles.

If you are looking for a technical approach with lots of details on an advanced walking meditation practice, this may not be for you. However, this material covers essential points about living a happier life and walking as a spiritual practice. It gets you started in the right direction and takes a Zen rather than traditional Theravadan approach.

In certain sections the book and audio don't exactly correspond, but I don't see that as a real obstacle to learning. In fact, normally you wouldn't get a book along with a CD at this price point.

There are also other good CDs that present walking meditation from a different viewpoint such as Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate Another set of good complimentary practices presented from a Western point of view is Guided Mindfulness Meditation (Guided Mindfulness). I would seriously consider some of this material as well as your practice gets deeper.

You can see a list of some of these resources on my profile grouped under Buddhist Meditation resources. I find that walking meditation is a particularly good practice for Western people and this is a great starting point for any type of practice. There are many approaches to this type of meditation and all of them can be very beneficial.