Walking Meditation
Meditazione in Cammino
Art, Nature, Spirituality
More and more, as aware human beings, we feel a deep need for harmony… The realm of things no longer satisfies us: we feel a deep dissatisfaction, an inner restlessness, a diffuse sense of lack…
We perceive the urgency of change, personal and shared, in our daily behaviour and choices. We would like to focus on our real needs, find serenity, understand ourselves and life better.
And that is when we turn our attention from the outside to the inside, looking for answers. The first step is to move away from the noise, to manage to concentrate, so as to see ourselves and the world with new eyes…
A special way to begin – very simple to put into practice – is walking meditation. To meditate it is not compulsory to sit in a particular position – cross-legged, Eastern style, for instance – just as to pray it is not strictly necessary to kneel.
What matters is the sincere disposition of the heart, the inner wish to connect with everything around us, feeling one with it…
To have the unforgettable experience of a walking meditation it is enough to …walk: in simple clothes and comfortable shoes, in nature, for a short, medium or long stretch according to our abilities.
The difference from an ordinary walk or hike is that – alone or in a group – we will cover the route strictly in silence; we will focus all our attention on ourselves, on our sensations and above all on the natural elements and non-human beings we meet along the way: in a meadow, in a wood, on the gentle slopes of a hill, by the sea, near a stream, on a mountainside…
Concentrated in this way, we can send gratitude to the trees, the flowers, the fruits, the leaves, the wild berries, the insects, the birds and the wild animals; to the sun that warms us, to the wind, the water, the very air we breathe, the clouds… and to the rain and the snow, in their season…
Troublesome thoughts will go away; and since during walking meditation we are not obliged to talk to others, we will easily eliminate any temptation – or habit – of criticism, complaint or banality.
We will regain our serenity: nature is already a great help in this, but choosing the best of our thoughts and continuously expressing our gratitude to the whole that surrounds us, and of which we are part, will greatly raise our state of consciousness… as well as making us truly appreciate the beauty of the places…
We will carry this different feeling with us, and we will certainly perceive more keenly the need to preserve the whole of nature; and we will more easily reawaken that respect for Mother Earth and for all living beings – human and non-human – that we seem to have forgotten.
