A Practice for Fidgeters, Restless Minds, and Anyone Who Hates Sitting Still | Meditation with Sebene Selassie

0:04Sebene Selassie:This is the 10 % Happier Podcast. I'm Dan Harris.

0:18Sebene Selassie:Hello there. How we doing? I am very excited to share another sneak preview of my new audio book, which is called Even You Can Meditate. It's out right now on Audible. You can grab a copy of the book if you go to audible.com slash Dan Harris. I'll put a link in the show notes so you can easily access it. What you're about to hear is a guided walking meditation. Walking meditation is great for a lot of reasons. First, it helps bridge the gap between formal meditation practice and the rest of your life because many of us are walking all the time. Second, if you're somebody who finds seated meditation excruciatingly difficult, if you're a fidgeter, if you're restless, if your mind goes haywire every time you try to sit still, walking meditation can be a game changer.

1:02Sebene Selassie:I do a lot of walking meditation. The basic idea is simple. You walk very slowly and deliberately, pay attention to the sensations of each step, and then every time you get lost, you start again. You will get guided in this practice today by my great friend, Sabine Selassie, my co-author on this new audiobook, which again is called Even You Can Meditate. So if you like this guided meditation, you should check out the audiobook. We had a lot of fun making it. We worked hard on it. I think it's great. Also, check this out. Over on my new meditation app, 10 % with Dan Harris, we're going to be running a five-day Even You Can Meditate challenge.

1:37Sebene Selassie:It will run from March 23rd through the 27th. Each day features a different practice from 7A, and these practices are good for both newbies and experienced people. Plus, during the course of the challenge, Seb and I We'll do two live online events where we will guide a meditation and then take your questions. If you want to join, all you have to do is download the app and you can do that at danharris.com. Okay, we'll do some walking meditation with Sabine Selassie right after this. For listeners who are steeped in Buddhism, you will know the term samsara. But samsara is not just a Buddhist term, it's also the name of a company.

2:16Sebene Selassie:But that is one of our sponsors today. If you have a fleet and you have drivers in your fleet and one of them got in an accident tomorrow, could you prove what actually happened? Without footage, it's much harder. So your insurance rates spike and you're stuck paying for it. That's why so many fleets choose Samsara's AI-powered dash cams. Clear video evidence, real-time alerts and coaching tools that help prevent accidents before they happen. But Samsara is more than a dash cam. It's a complete connected operations platform with GPS tracking, asset visibility, maintenance insights, safety analytics and compliance tools all in one place.

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3:31Sebene Selassie:Samsara. Operate smarter.

3:39Sebene Selassie:Getting older is great in many ways. I find that the older I get, the happier I am, the calmer I am, the more content I am. The one drawback, of course, is that aging can be tough on the body. So I spend a lot of time personally thinking about how to take care of my body, knowing, of course, that everything is impermanent, Which leads me to one of our sponsors today, a company called Fatty15. This is a supplement built around something called C15, which is the first emerging essential fatty acid to be discovered in more than 90 years. It's an incredible scientific breakthrough, they say, to support your long-term health and wellness.

4:14Sebene Selassie:And, of course, you guessed it, healthy aging. Fatty 15 co-founder Dr. Stephanie Van Watson discovered the benefits of C15 while working with the U.S. Navy to continually improve the health and welfare of older dolphins. Based on over 100 studies, they say that C15 strengthens your cells and is a foundational healthy aging nutrient, which helps to slow aging at the cellular level. I have not personally used Fatty 15, but I'm very intrigued. I've already got my supplement stack pretty well dialed. But if this sounds intriguing to you, have a chat with your doctor and check it out. I will say this for Fatty 15.

4:51Sebene Selassie:It comes in a gorgeous reusable glass slash bamboo jar. Happen to have one here in the house. And it looks quite good. And all the refills are shipped right to your door. Fatty 15 is on a mission to optimize your C15 levels to help you support your long-term health and wellness, especially as you age. You can get an additional 15 % off their 90-day subscription starter kit by going to fatty15.com slash happier and using the code happier at checkout.

5:23Welcome to this walking meditation. Walking meditation brings mindfulness into motion, helping us bridge our formal sitting practice with everyday activities. In our busy lives, we often walk on autopilot, our minds elsewhere. This practice teaches us to fully inhabit each moment by fully inhabiting each step. With practice, we experience the miracle of movement with fresh awareness. Walking meditation can be especially helpful for those of us who find sitting meditation challenging. Welcome to all my fellow fidgeters. walking meditation can provide us a more active way to cultivate presence. Let's walk together.

6:14Find a quiet path where you can walk undisturbed. Begin by standing still, feet hip-width apart, shoulders relaxed, and arms resting naturally at your sides. take three deep breaths inhale through your nose filling your lungs completely and exhale slowly through your nose inhale

7:01Feel your feet connecting with the ground beneath you.

7:08Notice the sensations where your feet meet the earth, the pressure, temperature, and texture.

7:25Now, start walking at a slower pace than normal. Not artificially slow, but mindfully measured.

7:42With each step, notice the lifting, moving, and placing of your foot. Feel how your weight shifts from one foot to the other.

8:02Keep your gaze soft, focused a few feet ahead of you.

8:25As you continue walking, expand your awareness to include your entire body. notice how your arms swing naturally at your sides

8:42feel the rhythm of your movement the gentle sway of your body and observe any sensations that arise perhaps warmth or coolness tension or ease simply note these sensations without judgment

9:24continue walking mindfully Feeling each step fully.

10:20Gently expand your awareness to include your surroundings.

10:33Without getting caught in thoughts or stories, notice the colors, shapes, and movements around you.

10:48Hear the sounds, near and far.

10:59Feel the air or breeze on your skin.

11:10All the while, maintain awareness of your walking and breathing.

11:27Thank you.

12:05As you walk, your mind will produce thoughts. This is natural. When you notice thoughts arising, acknowledge them without judgment. Then gently return your attention to the sensations of walking.

12:27Like clouds passing in the sky, let thoughts come and go while you remain grounded in the physical experience of each step.

12:59Thank you.

13:27Cultivate a sense of gratitude for your body's ability to move, for the path beneath your feet, for this moment of mindful awareness in your day. Let appreciation infuse your walking meditation.

14:06Thank you.

14:27come to a stop. Stand still once more, feeling the ground beneath you. Take three deep breaths in and out just as you did at the beginning.

14:57Acknowledge the space you've created for mindfulness within your day.

15:04when you're ready you may return to your regular pace and activities carrying this quality of awareness with you thank you for walking with me today see you next time

15:23Sebene Selassie:thank you to Seb don't forget to check out our new audiobook it's called Even You Can Meditate you can get it by visiting audible.com slash Dan Harris. Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for our upcoming meditation challenge, which is inspired by the book. It will be running from March 23rd through the 27th over on my new app, 10 % with Dan Harris. Head on over to danharris.com to download the app right now. Finally, I just want to say thank you to everybody who worked so hard on this show. Our producers are Tara Anderson and Eleanor Vasili. Our recording and engineering is handled by the great folks over at Pod People.

16:01Sebene Selassie:Lauren Smith is our managing producer. Marissa Schneiderman is our senior producer. DJ Kashmir is our executive producer. And Nick Thorburn of the band Islands wrote our theme.