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Benefits of Walking Meditation

It is scientifically proven that exercise helps to lower blood-sugar levels. Since meditation likewise helps, walking meditation is an excellent combination of both activities.

Walking meditation is one of the practices adopted by the Buddhist tradition. It is a form of meditation in action whereby the practitioner is to be consciously mindful and keep his awareness involved with the experience of walking. It’s an easier and more comfortable form of meditation for beginners or anyone who prefers a more active form of practice.

A preliminary study conducted by Thai and U.S. research institutes found that walking meditation indeed helps to lower blood-glucose levels. In 2015, several scholars from Thai and U.S. research institutions collaborated to design an experiment. The investigators divided 27 patients with type 2 diabetes into two groups: 14 in the experimental group received walking-meditation training and 13 in the control group did standard walking exercises. After the three-month experiment, glycated hemoglobin associated with long-term blood-glucose levels remained unchanged at six percent in the control group, but decreased from six percent to 5.4 percent in the experimental group.

Other similar experiments carried out over the years have concluded that walking meditation can produce a series of positive effects, often surpassing standard walking activity, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Whether it is a sitting meditation or a walking meditation, both produce a significant effect with regard to lowering blood-sugar levels. Spending some time practicing meditation daily can help reduce the risk of diabetes or keep it under better control.

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Meditate to Manage Diabetes

Meditating, even for a short period of time, helps to reduce anxiety and stress. This in turn causes an increased insulin sensitivity and a lowering of the blood-sugar level, thereby decreasing the risk factors for diabetes. Many people with diabetes find meditation a good way to reduce stress and lower blood-sugar levels.

A study in the journal Obesity by researchers from Penn State University found that after a group of overweight women underwent meditation training, their stress and fasting blood-sugar levels decreased. These 86 overweight or obese women received eight weekly sessions of meditative stress-reduction techniques. The participants learned how to use meditation and breath awareness as responses to stress. The group saw a decrease in fasting blood-sugar levels — both right after training was completed and when the women were retested eight weeks later.