It is possible to enjoy every step you make at any time you want, whenever you feel the need to move from one place to another, no matter how short the distance. If you make five steps, then make those five steps into a walking meditation. Every step will bring you joy and stability.
When you climb the stairs, climb each step in mindfulness, concentration, and joy. In that way you are doing exactly what the Buddha was doing: generating and transferring your best to the world. Peace, happiness, brotherhood and sisterhood become a reality if we know how to live our daily life in mindfulness and concentration. Invest 100 percent of yourself in the walking. Become aware of every step. It’s you who are consciously walking. Your habitual preoccupations and ways of thinking are not pulling you away. You retain your sovereignty. You are the one who decides. You walk because it is your intention to walk, and in every step you have freedom. You take each step purposefully, and each mindful step brings you in touch with the wonders of life that are available in the here and now.
This is why, when you are walking, you do not think. If you think, the thinking will steal your walking from you. You don’t talk, because talking will take the walking away from you. Walking like this is a pleasure. When mindfulness and concentration are alive in you, you are fully yourself. You don’t lose yourself. You walk with grace and dignity. Without mindfulness, you may think of walking as an imposition, a chore. With mindfulness, you see walking as life.
As you walk, let your steps follow the rhythm of your breath. Let your breathing be natural. Breathing in, if your lungs want two steps, then take two steps; if your lungs want three steps then give yourself three steps. Breathing out, you may want to take a step or two more than you did when breathing in. Listen to your lungs. Even if your surroundings are full of noise and agitation, you can still walk in rhythm with your breathing. Even in the commotion of a big city, you can walk with peace, happiness, and an inner smile. Every step should be enjoyable.