One of the most intensely spiritual and solitary moments I have ever experienced was shared in the Colorado Rockies during walking meditation with a few hundred other people last year at Thich Nhat Hanh’s Zen retreat. I spend so much of my day surrounded by the commotion of life that it is easy to lose awareness of myself, life’s miracle, and the integral part I play in the collective.Walking meditation was a real challenge for me when I first started practicing it. It is difficult to stay in the moment when there are so many distractions clambering for my attention. However when the experience is shared with others (the more the merrier), there is the added power of a collaborative effort.
In walking meditation I practice being aware of the number of steps I take with each breath. The trick is to match the steps with the breath, not the other way around. This awareness goes a long way in keeping me in the moment so that I am walking without arriving, just experiencing the moment and enjoying the walking with no particular aim or destination.
“The mind can go in a thousand directions. But on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, a gentle wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)
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