Are you finding it difficult to take your daily exercise during this winter lockdown. Over the past few weeks the weather has been cold and damp. You may have even struggled to take your four legged friend out!
Have you thought about making a daily walk a meditation? Or a micro pilgrimage? We are told that connecting with nature is good for a mental and physical wellbeing. This is something I strongly believe in. It is also good for our spiritual wellbeing. You don’t have to have a faith or religious belief to have a spiritual life. Knowing that you are part of something bigger than yourself.
Are you curious? How does a walking meditation look? What’s a micro pilgrimage? Let us explore meditation.
Focused meditation is when you repeat a mantra or thought over and over filling our minds with an edifying principle. An example would be something like: “I send love and compassion to all beings”.
Open monitoring there is no specific focus. You pay attention to your thoughts, sensations and feelings as they come into your mind with no judgements. You allow space for your mind to wander and let it solve its own issues and problems.
Walking is a powerful way of easily entering into open monitoring. The rhythm of your footsteps. If you feel like trying focused mediation without a mantra, bring your attention to your feet and feel how each step feels as your foot contacts the floor.
Working with both of these concepts you can turn your walk into a pilgrimage. Walking to a place that is significant to you. An example of this could be your favourite tree in a local park, a bench, a view. As you set out you can add depth by consciously noticing birds, plants how the weather is affecting your mood. If you journal too it can be an interesting exercise, view into your inner world. Take your time it’s not about distance, touch the bark of trees and fell their textures, look into the sky and floor. How are things change since you last took this walk.
If you would like more inspiration visit https://britishpilgrimage.org/
