I made a bit of a mistake in saying that I do walking meditation when out with my dog groups. I do feel happier with them but it's not a meditative state as I constantly have to monitor them and interact with them.
I'm not endorsing these people at all but this is a description that quite well matches what I do re "walking" meditation.
http://www.wildmind.org/walking/overview
Not the traditional form but it works for me. I always feel much calmer and my minds quiets down when I walk alone for awhile. I could also do this with my dog when jogging as I didn't have to mind what she was doing - she was trained to stay fairly close to me while we jogged and we were on a boardwalk at 6 a.m. so no traffic or people to worry about.
Jogging was really an intense body connecting experience for me. I was totally aware of what was happening to my body at first - what hurt, how hard it was to breathe, etc. etc. Then my body fell into a rhythm and I could start enjoying the view of the sky and lake and the trees. Most times my mind shut right down at this point and I could just BE there.
I miss that. But now I can't handle jogging. I think paddle boarding will fulfill the same need for me. I have to start getting down there on Sunday mornings. Now there'a a new obstacle - someone is doing smash and grabs
at the club and making their getaway in a jeep type vehicle. Not many people down there at 6 a.m. so I'm a little concerned about going. The police probably couldn't find the club either. City life - ARRRGH!
Dagmar