How to be mindful while doing routine activites like walking on a street known for years?

Question

I started observing nature as I walked by the street which I take daily to get out of colony.
Problem is that I have already observed it throughly. There isn't anything that I haven't observed. Brain gets in auto pilot mode in such situations.

I tried to keep my attention on my shoes and thus counting my steps. This has a danger of me getting hit by something because I was looking down.

Where am I supposed to look and what am I supposed to think while doing mundane routine activities like sitting in an auto and moving on an already known default path? There is no stimulus for brain to do anything new.

I still have to be on my guards though. I don't want to reach in dreamland where I am totally unaware of what's happening around me.

I tried to focus on "Waiting for my thoughts to appear so that I can acknowledge them". This reduced anxiety and made me happy but this way I had forgotten that I was walking since the brain was on auto-pilot mode.

Answer 1

Not exactly Buddhist, but one way I train my outdoor students in awareness is to play the occupation game. One day, be an electrician. Notice where all the power lines go, see what gauge each of them is, how they tie into each home and business. Inside, see the outlets and all of the lights. What wattages are each of the bulbs? How many volts does each outlet supply? What can you say about the switches? Where are the breaker boxes? The next day, be a brick layer. Notice all of the stone work. Who has asphalt driveways? Concrete? Paver stones? Which houses are made of brick? What color are the bricks? Are they all standard sizes? Any embellishments? Look for artistry and craftsman ship. Look for shoddy work, etc. The following day be a car salesman. Which brand is selling best? Which colors are most often used for each make? How many new cars are on the road? Next, be a seamstress. Notice the cut of clothes, etc. Be a cobbler. Be a roofer. Be a plumber, etc. etc. etc.

While you aren't developing mindfulness in a strictly Buddhist sense, you are developing a number of the factors of mindfulness. For instance, just playing the occupation game requires you to be ardent and to exert effort. Remembering what occupation you are that day and noting what should be looking for engages sati to a degree. Seeing each detail fully can help you develop sampajanna. Give it a go. It's actually kinda fun.

Answer 2

If you are walking on a mostly empty sidewalk a good method would be to be mindful of the movement and sensation of the legs, silently noting right, left, right, left. If the sidewalk is crowded or you have to walk in the neighborhood street then loving-kindness meditation while walking probably would be better.

Answer 3

There isn't anything that I haven't observed...

My person doubts, even outwardly there is nothing not changing, not different, now it's even more of value to look at the frames of references for mindfulness.

When walking, look where you put the next step, step by step, know, lifting, pushing, setting down, take care not to step on someone, get slowly a "An All-Around Eye".

Giving way, while walking (dana, generosity), not to step on someone, no short cuts, no violation of rules (sila, virtue), walking straight, aware of body posture, like a king/queen, straight, not like a cowboy or a pig, awareness of the body and correct it. When willing to look on the side, stop, turn, then look and watch out the greed that normaly drives one to try to do all at one time. One of the frame of references (meditation), then watch out thoughts, feelings, arising, moods, if the first is already managed good.

Put the sense under control, not letting the eye, ear, nose... follow contact of objects.

One practicing, one being mindful, is never bored and later gifted with right gained ease and re(a)l-ease. And, as a side effect of step by step, one reaches his place faster as any vehicle could provide it.

Start be simply train your body posture, putting your steps straight | not / or \ one after another, not bending more than the head, not walking like a duck or a rooster. Don't swing your arms, don't twist the body while walking. One movement consciously after the other. Simply that training will be maybe very hard for a good time, but give one real good results.

Direct relations are found also in your parallel questions in this answer

[Note: This is a gift of Dhamma and not meant for commercial purpose or other low wordily gains by means of trade and exchange.]