Zen & Buddhism

Kinhin - Walking Meditation

Slow, mindful walking between periods of sitting meditation, integrating stillness with movement.

Kinhin is the walking meditation practiced in Zen monasteries between zazen periods. Practitioners walk very slowly in a clockwise circle, with hands in shashu position (left hand in fist, right hand covering). Each step is synchronized with the breath, and the mind remains in the same meditative state as zazen. This practice demonstrates that meditation is not confined to sitting but is a quality of consciousness that can pervade all activities. Research shows that walking meditation improves balance, reduces fall risk in elderly populations, and helps people who struggle with seated meditation.

Written about in

• What Zen says about habit and discipline

  Between sitting periods monks walk slowly in a circle, hands in shashu, each step matched to the breath. The point of kinhin is continuity: the practice is not permitted to stop when the posture changes.