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| A Collective Walking Meditation |
So I was very excited when he spoke about meditation, as I'm participating in Month of Meditation over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.
In particular, he spoke about walking meditation. It's a mindfulness meditation where you breathe in, take two steps and say, "I have arrived. I have arrived." Then you breathe out and take another two to three steps and say, "I am home, I am home, I am home." In this way, you are living in the here and now. This walking meditation has been done in groups all over the world. I love this idea. Can you imagine the awesome collective energy?
It's all about the here and now. Only in the here and now can you touch life with all it's wonders. Only in the here and now are you free from regret concerning the past. Only in the here and now are you free from your fear about the future and are able to touch life deeply.
Hanh says that people sacrifice the present for the future, but that life is only available in the present moment. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and now. This way we can live deeply in that moment of life and the practice of mindful walking helps us to learn how to live happily every moment of our daily lives.
This struck a chord with me. When everything is always in the future, the future never comes. So then you've lost the future, in addition to the present. By the same token, living in the past is a waste of time. The only thing that matters is the here and now. It'd be a tough practice to implement in our western world, but through walking meditation it is completely possible for a little while. And with baby steps, I think I could put some of the "here and now" into practice.
I haven't read any of Hanh's books, but after watching him speak on television, I am definitely going to pick one up. Check out his books on Amazon HERE.
To see what other's are saying about Day 6 of meditation, go HERE.
