As some of you already know, I’ve been working from home these past few weeks. I feel very fortunate to be able to do so, and to have a good set up in order to Get Things Done. I went to the office yesterday to pick up a couple of things and also to check out a weekly meditation session for employees. These are hosted by a rotating group of staffers. As far as I know they tend to be indoors, but because of new physical distancing guidelines they were moved outdoors.
This meditation session was a walking meditation. I thought it might be guided – that someone would lead us and tell us what to do – but I was wrong. The instructions were simple, or so I thought: wander around one area of the grounds and breathe. Of course, there was a bit more to it than that. We were instructed to pay attention to our breathing, the feeling of our feet on the ground, and for the sounds/smells/stuff around us. And with that, we all went our separate ways.
Some people walked around the lawn, some people walked through a woody area, some people stood with their faces to the sun. It was pretty cool.
I discovered something about myself. I’m a speed walker and walking slow was surprisingly difficult for me. In fact, I wobbled a couple of times. Somehow, it was harder to keep my balance when I wasn’t a human projectile. How slow were we walking? Good question. I can’t honestly say we were walking. Perhaps stepping describes it better: One, very, slow, step, with, every, inhale, and, one, slow, step, with, every, exhale. Repeat. And repeat.
I had to force myself to slow way down. I took deep breaths, and noticed things around me that I would have missed at my usual pace. I really looked; really listened. There was the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves, bird song, the smell of the earth. Somehow, I became closer to it all. I banished intrusive thoughts and focused on the moment and on the beauty around me. I felt closer to the world around me than I had in the long time. It was a lovely gift.
