Age 32 Why I Tried It To try a new way to meditate I’m no stranger to meditation, though I can’t say it always comes easily to me. I’ve been a practitioner of yoga for many years, and while I definitely savor the tranquility that comes with final Savasana, it is the moving meditation of going through the poses that keeps me coming back. Nothing beats the feeling of being on my mat, flowing from one asana to another in an almost trancelike state, fully present and aware of my breath and body’s movement. It’s taught me to slow down and notice every sensation going through me and to appreciate all my body does for me. But COVID-19 restrictions have kept me out of the studio, and virtual yoga classes don’t always cut it for me. Trying to find an hour of Zen in the same small space where I work and sleep just isn’t as peaceful or appealing. I will occasionally listen to a guided meditation on YouTube while in the bath or just before bed, but I often find it difficult to sit still and meditate. That’s why I loved the idea of a walking meditation. As the ongoing pandemic has limited most of my regular activities, I already take frequent walks these days to get out of my apartment and into the fresh air. And as I know from my experience with yoga, my favorite way to meditate is to do so while moving.
What Is MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation?
MindTravel is an experiential music company founded by composer and musician Murray Hidary. The company offers ticketed live events conducted both virtually and in person (although in-person events are not currently taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic), as well as digital music and meditation products that focus on sleep, inspiration, creativity, and more. Most people use MindTravel in the comfort of their own homes, or, in the case of the Silent Walking Meditations, by walking safely in their neighborhoods and local parks. Pricing for MindTravel experiences vary. Ticketed/live events cost between $15 to $30, while digital music and meditation products range from $3.99 to $23 per product, with discounted monthly and yearly subscriptions available. MindTravel offers a free 20-minute Silent Walking Meditation and a $17 expansion pack that includes a 30-minute and a 60-minute guided walk.
Here’s What Happened When I Tried It
My first experience with MindTravel was the 60-minute Silent Walking Meditation. A few days later, I tried the shorter, 30-minute walk. Both are very similar, with the 30-minute walk basically a condensed version of the longer one. I began my first walk on a sunny day and hit play on the meditation track as soon as I left my apartment, which, for me, was a mistake. I live right off a busy street, and the noise of cars whizzing by made it too difficult to concentrate. I decided to pause the recording and wait until I was in a less populated area to switch it back on. While the goal of the meditation isn’t to go anywhere, MindTravel suggests you know your route so you’re not worrying about directions, and I highly agree. Anything to minimize distractions is helpful. MindTravel also emphasizes safety and instructs you to always be aware of your surroundings and move in line with the meditation only if it is safe. Once on a quieter route, I was really able to focus on the soothing sounds of Hidary’s voice over the background of the calming music he also composed. I listened as he told me to pick up my pace to a brisk walk and feel my heart quicken and then slow down to gentle steps. By this point, I had made it to my local walking/running path along the river that’s beautifully dotted with trees and expansive green space. This was the perfect location for a walking meditation, as Hidary instructs you to really take in your surroundings — and that’s much more enjoyable when you’re looking at nature rather than crowded city streets. At one point, he makes an analogy comparing life to a river, both at times calm and turbulent. Listening to that while actually looking into the sparkling ripples of a river brought an overwhelming sense of serenity. When I returned home from my walk, I felt light and energized, my spirits lifted on an otherwise routine weekday. RELATED: Tips to Help You Log More Steps Every Day For the short guided meditation, I chose to walk to another body of water — this time a lake not too far from my home. The weather was gray and misty, so it wasn’t as pleasant as my first walk, but I do enjoy seeing landscapes in different lighting. Having done the longer walk only a few days earlier, I was familiar with much of the meditation, though I still found it engaging and was able to keep my mind present for the majority of my walk.
Three Things I Liked About MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation
Here are three reasons why I found MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation to be a great tool to practice mindfulness:
It’s easy to use and very accessible. All you need is a smartphone and a pair of earphones and you’re good to go. You can download the track right to your device so there’s no need to worry about using up data or how many bars your phone has on your walk. While I personally found the meditations were better suited to being in a park or somewhere else in nature, these walks can be done anywhere.The music is mesmerizing. All tracks on MindTravel are composed by Hidary, who is a very talented musician. There is music playing at varying sound levels throughout, and at different points in the meditation, Hidary steps back from speaking and lets the music take over. I found the instrumentals soothing and deeply relaxing, which really enhanced the overall experience.It’s a great way to meditate if you have trouble sitting still. If you’re like me and usually find an excuse to not take time out of the day to sit and meditate, incorporating the practice while you’re doing something else like taking a walk is a great way to fit it in.
Three Things I Disliked About MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation
While I thoroughly enjoyed MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation, here are some things I didn’t love:
It’s not ideal if you’re in a city. It’s pretty difficult to pay attention to a guided meditation with the sounds of sirens, people chatting, and cars honking. While MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation can be done anywhere, I found it’s best if you can get to a park or be near water. Depending where you live, that could mean taking a lengthy walk to get to an ideal place to begin your walking meditation.There is little variety between the 30- and 60-minute meditations. As stated above, the 30-minute walking meditation is just a condensed version of the longer recording. While still effective, for $17, I expected different themes perhaps or just more variety between the two. (Full disclosure: I received a promo code for the purpose of writing this article and did not pay the fee.) There were times while listening to the shorter meditation where I found it difficult to concentrate because I had already heard a lot of what Hidary was saying a few days before when I did the longer walk.Sound quality during live events was inferior to the recordings. While I didn’t get to fully participate in one of MindTravel’s live walking meditations due to a scheduling conflict, I did listen in for the first 15 minutes of a silent walking event from home. It was conducted via Zoom, and Hidary was speaking to the camera while on a walk of his own. Due to background noise, the acoustics weren’t that great. There’s not much one could do to remedy this and I think these live events are a wonderful idea and a great way to build a sense of community, but the recorded tracks were just easier to listen to.
The Bottom Line
Overall, my experience with MindTravel’s Silent Walking Meditation was very pleasant. Both walks reminded me of the feeling I normally get after a good yoga class — a slight buzz with a sense of appreciation of my body, health, and space in this world. It reignited my interest in mindfulness and made me want to explore other avenues to practice meditation while staying safe at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. RELATED: Self-Care Tips During the Coronavirus Pandemic
