Mindful walking. What is it? And why do it?
Mindful walking is a close cousin to the Japanese practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku), a walking practice that involves immersing oneself in nature, breathing deeply, slowing mental processes, and tapping into the senses.
But thankfully an ancient forest isn’t required. In my walking practice, noise, other humans nearby, and/or a cacophony of activity in the environment doesn’t impede this practice IF I’m settled deeply into awareness–quiet, receptive, empty, and open. Mental chatter subdued.
In other words, it doesn’t matter where we are physically. It’s where we are mentally that makes the difference.
So a mysterious, ancient forest is by no means necessary. In my experience noise, other humans, and a cacophony of activity around me doesn’t impede this practice (and can even enrich it), IF I’m alone, settled deeply into awareness, quiet, receptive, and not expected to engage with others.
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Adding a camera extends and enriches the practice into the realm of what’s called contemplative photography. In this state, the world, in strange and wonderful ways, reveals itself. The image the camera captures almost always surprises and delights me. In fact, it feels a lot like love. And every time I look at that photo, even years later, the same heart-felt emotion arises. It’s likely because no thinking, no analyzing, no second guessing was involved.
Contemplative photography is an approach to photography that emphasizes the act of seeing and the experience of being present in the moment. It’s a practice that trains you to see the world in fresh ways by distinguishing the sensory from the conceptual. The photographer identifies with the subject so deeply that she can express its essence. There is nothing conceptual or interpretive going on. Instead the image reveals what some photographers have called “the unfabricated truth.”
During mindful walking, the journey becomes less about the destination and more about bringing silent, undirected awareness to whatever appears before us.
In my experience, when all internal chatter subsides, it’s an inside-out activity. Rather than me choosing what is being looked at, it’s as if IT chooses me. The typical, customary sense of self falls away. This can’t be explained. It can be experienced. And you don’t have to spend a few years in a monastery or ashram to shift into it.
Like most mindful activities, it can be performed anywhere: a neighborhood walk, a park trail, a city sidewalk.
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When we’re in a mindful state, appreciating whatever arises, early morning sunlight striking a mud puddle on a city street is not less or more than the sun setting over a distant mountain range. That distinction is mental noise. Thus we discover, often by surprise, that beauty is vastly more available than we ever thought imaginable. And it feels very personal. As if it’s a secret. A surprise. And only we can see it.
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And actually, it may be true that only we can see it. A hundred pair of eyes have probably passed by that same image and not given it any notice. Perhaps they even disliked it. And yet you who saw and captured it are now in love with it. Whatever “it” is. Imagine that!
And in this mental release (that solid foundation of ideas around what’s good, what’s bad, etc.) we encounter a shift that releases the mental idea of beauty and worthiness from their customary shackles.
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To the mindful, when in a state of appreciation, the experience of early morning sunlight hitting a dirty puddle on a city street is equal to the setting sun in a mountain scene 1.
If you’re interested in learning more about mindful walking, you might find the following resources helpful: