Walk Around the Couch

Let’s be honest, some of us aren’t built for stillness.

We try to sit.

We mean to sit.

But five minutes in, our legs twitch.

Our thoughts ping around like a pinball machine.

We feel trapped. Itchy. Tired and overstimulated at the same time.

So we get up. We pace. We open the fridge. We wander the room.

And that, my friend, is still Zen.

Applied Zen says this: You don’t have to sit to be present.

You don’t have to cross your legs and close your eyes to be in the practice.

Sometimes the most sacred thing you can do is walk around your couch with awareness.

Movement isn’t the opposite of meditation, it can be the gateway.

Especially for the restless.

The ADHD folks.

The trauma survivors.

The people whose bodies have never known stillness as safety.

We walk not to escape the moment, but to meet it.

Footsteps become a rhythm.

Breath returns without being forced.

Thoughts rise and fall in time with each step, like waves that stop crashing when no one’s resisting.

You’re not less spiritual because you can’t sit still.

You’re wise enough to find what works for your nervous system.

And walking meditation doesn’t have to be performative.

You don’t need a Zen garden.

You don’t need a retreat center.

You need space, ten feet is enough.

You need a body, however it moves.

You need willingness, to stay with yourself while in motion.

When I couldn’t sit, I used to think I was failing.

Now I walk.

Not because I’m avoiding practice, but because I’m in it.

I walk slowly through the living room.

I walk laps through the kitchen.

I walk around the couch.

And in that walking, something settles.

The thoughts don’t disappear, but I don’t cling.

The breath doesn’t perfect itself, but I’m breathing.

And for a moment, I remember I’m not broken.

I’m just moving through it.

So if your cushion feels like a trap, stand up.

Walk your loop.

Feel your steps.

Let your presence be in motion.

Zen will meet you there.