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It’s always pretty cool when you discover something new without even realizing it, and that’s exactly what happened to me last week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and our daughters were staying with Grandma and Grandpa, so we had a rare evening with no children to look after. The timing was right; it was a beautiful evening. I decided to take a walk.
I took our dog, Lily, along with me. She relishes the opportunity to take in the sights and smells anytime she gets the opportunity to come along for a walk. I love where I live, because I live in a subdivision that gives us a sense of living in a city, with sidewalks and lots of homes around us, but also a mix of nature too. We don’t have to look far to see trees and forests and walking paths along the river that weaves throughout our community.
Lily and I started on our walk and we made our way to a path along the river. I just loved hearing the wind in the trees and the singing of the birds. Every once in a while, I heard a splash come from the river, which was ripe with life and activity. I watched as Lily took frequent stops to take inventory of whatever animal had passed through sometime in the past, before giving her a gentle tug to bring her back to me to continue our walk.
Before I knew it, I realized that I was in a deep meditative state. I realized that right then and there, I was engrossed in the present — the here and now. I wasn’t thinking about the future, and I wasn’t thinking about the past. I really wasn’t thinking about anything for that matter. I was simply enjoying the simplicity of the moment, without a thought of anything else.
Truth to be told, once I made the realization, I kind of wish I hadn’t, because then I had to make an effort to continue to “not think” of anything, and keep my thoughts on just “being.” Nevertheless, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Like any meditation, it took me a while to transition from conscious awareness of my surroundings as I began my walk, and as I neared the end of my lengthy walk, I started to transition back from my meditative state to that conscious awareness again. It was really cool.
As recently as two years ago, I was under the impression that meditation had to be this orchestrated and deliberate practice, where I had to take time to sit and do it. On top of that, I didn’t even know what I was “supposed to do” when I was meditating anyway.
The reason I am sharing this with you is because I don’t want you to miss out on the wonderful benefits of meditation, especially if you love to walk, but struggle with finding time to meditate. You can do both and benefit from both!
Give it a try! Try the “walking meditation,” and see how it goes for you. Just “be” and enjoy your surroundings. Observe the nuances of nature and the small details of things you never had noticed before. Be observant of the wildlife that surrounds you. Start with a small focus, and then broaden your level of awareness.
I started out by focusing on the plants that I passed as I walked. I just looked at their color and design. I then broadened my level of awareness to the point where I tried to take in everything within my entire visual field. I did the same thing for sound; I started by focusing on one particular sound, and then I worked to broaden my awareness to the point where I was trying to take in every single sound, from the movement of the animals in the water to the distant hum of traffic. It was pretty cool, and best of all, it was easy too.
If you do try it out, or if you are thinking about giving it a shot, let me know about it. I would love to hear from you!
Who would have thought? A “walking meditation.” How cool is that?
Photo source: freedigitalphotos.net
