I do kinhin for 10 minutes every morning straight down a hallway in my house. I have discovered that the clarity of my mind is reflected in how far I make it down that hallway. On mind-cloudy days I don't get very far, and on those days when my mind is clearer I make it much farther. It is important to note that I have no goal of gaining any particular distance down the hall and there is no good or bad distance that I make or don't make. It's just an interesting experience I thought I'd share, even if the distance is pointless and meaningless.

I think I am aware of this distance issue because we do the slow step by step method of kinhin. On mind-cloudy days I lose awareness and forget to move forward, and on mind-clearer days I am aware to keep moving a bit more. Years ago I sat with Pat Hawk Roshi's sangha in Tucson, part of Aitken's Diamond sangha, and they practice a much more constant and fluid motion of kinhin. Because it is constant motion and you need to keep up with the flow of the people around the room, distance awareness would probably not be a factor. So, I think this step by step method helps me in my awareness more so than the constant movement would, so it's a good thing. It feels more mindful. Of course, the other way is a good thing, too.