Walking Meditation

I found Thich Nhat Hanh’s connection between taking the time to walk and the Earth to be so interesting. There is so much more to walking than just human transportation. When you put your mind to it, walking can connect your soul and body with your environment. It is so important to form a connection with the Earth because it is us. It supports every human life it holds. I have found that in the past, whenever I started to feel aggravated, going outside and running healed me almost instantly. I would immediately forget about what I was doing and just let the adrenaline take over. I felt instant relief, and the only thing on my mind was where I was at that moment. I imagine there's a similar effect from walking (minus all the adrenaline). I also know many people who choose to go for a walk when their mind is feeling full. It allows them to disconnect from the current problems and take time to breathe and think before making any impulsive decisions. The text related to this when it stated, “When we see our anger or sadness clearly, it dissipated. We begin to feel more compassion for ourselves and others. We can only feel this when body and mind are united.”It can also be an escape from the situation. When choosing to go for a walk after feeling overwhelmed, you can use this time to mentally clock out from your stressors and clock in with the environment. It reminds me of a saying I heard a couple of weeks ago: “Keep your mind where your feet are.” This means focusing on where you are in that moment instead of constantly worrying about the past or future.