Walking meditation, sometimes known as kinhin ( Chinese: 經行; Pinyin: jīngxíng; Romaji: kinhin or kyōgyō; Korean: gyeonghyaeng; Vietnamese: kinh hành), is a practice within several forms of Buddhism that involve movement and periods of walking between long periods of sitting meditation. ^[1] In different forms, the practice is common in various traditions of both Theravada and in Mahayana Buddhism.

Practice

Practitioners typically walk clockwise around a room while holding their hands in a gesture with one hand closed in a fist while the other hand grasps or covers the fist ( Chinese: 叉手; pinyin: chā shǒu; rōmaji: shashu). ^[2] During walking meditation each step is taken after each full breath. ^[3] The pace of walking meditation can be either slow (several steady steps per each breath) or brisk, almost to the point of jogging. ^[2]

Etymology

The term kinhin consists of the Chinese words 經, meaning "to go through (like the thread in a loom)", with " sutra" as a secondary meaning, and 行, meaning "walk". Taken literally, the phrase means "to walk straight back and forth."

Research

Walking meditation has been studied to investigate whether it has potential benefits for the following health problems:

• cardiotoxicity of anthracycline chemotherapy in people with breast cancer ^[4]
• Parkinson's disease ^[5]
• chronic ankle instability ^{[6] [7]}
• balance abilities in older people with history of fall ^[8]
• exercise capacity and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure ^[9]
• glycemic control and vascular function in people with type 2 diabetes ^[10]
• depression, functional fitness, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in older people ^[11]

See also

• Ānāpānasati
• Anussati
• Buddhist meditation
• Circumambulation
• Jarāmaraṇa
• Samatha
• Shikantaza
• Vipassanā

References

Sources

• Smith, L. (2023). 28 Meditation Statistics: How Many People Meditate? The Good Body. https://www.thegoodbody.com/meditation-statistics/
• Team, M. (2022). How Many People Meditate? Mindworks Meditation. https://mindworks.org/blog/how-many-people-meditate/
• Wise, J. (2023). Meditation Statistics 2023: Popularity, Industry & Market Size - EarthWeb. EarthWeb. https://earthweb.com/meditation-statistics/#:~:text=Meditation%20Statistics%202023-,Approximately%20200%20to%20500%20million%20people%20across%20the%20globe%20partake,reduce%20school%20suspensions%20by%2045%25.

Bibliography

• Aitken, Robert (1999). Taking the Path of Zen. North Point Press. pp.  35–36. ISBN  0-86547-080-4.
• Maezumi, Hakuyu Taizan; Glassman, Bernie (2002). On Zen Practice: Body, Breath, Mind. Wisdom Publications. pp. 48–49. ISBN  086171315X.
• Jin, Putai. "Efficacy of Tai Chi, Brisk Walking, Meditation, and Reading In Reducing Mental and Emotional Stress". doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(92)90072-A
• Prakhinkit, Susaree "Effects of Buddhist Walking Meditation on glycemic control and vascular functions in patients with Type-2 Diabetes." Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2016.03.009
• Prakhinkit, Susaree "Effects of Buddhism walking meditation on depression, functional fitness, and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in depressed elderly." Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, vol. 20, no. 5, 2014, doi.org/10.1089/acm.2013.0205
• Chatutain, Apsornsawan “Walking Meditation Promotes Ankle Proprioception and Balance Performance among Elderly Women.” doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2018.09.152
• Smith, Alison. “Walking Meditation: Being Present and Being Pilgrim on the Camino De Santiago.” Religions, vol. 9, no. 3, 2018, p. 82., doi:10.3390/rel9030082