we all have read the endless articles about exercise, particularly walking, as a way to stay healthy and fit. there are myriad benefits…cardio-vascular health, weight control, immune system support, reduction in disability risk, reduction in arthritis pain, and it can increase lifespan. (https://thecaregiverspace.org/8-science-backed-health-benefits-to-walking-for-seniors/)
there is another benefit to walking…it can deepen our connection to ourselves, others and to our inner world.“perhaps the truth depends on a walk around a lake”. wallace stevens
we so often seek truth outside ourselves. we read books, attend lectures and workshops, meditate, practice yoga or chi gung all in search of truth, in search of connection. and perhaps it does depend on a walk.any walk…on urban streets, in the woods, in a local park, around the house.in the buddhist tradition, walking is a meditation practice. there is a formal method of walking slowly, deliberately, mindfully along a straight path, turning to return on the same path.
few of us have this option in daily life, though a corridor or a garden path could serve. so how can we make a daily walk around the neighbourhood serve to show us the truth? thich nhat han tells us, “Each step brings you back to the present moment, which is the only moment in which you can be alive.” he doesn’t say we need a particular path, only that we step mindfully.certainly a quiet park or churchyard might help bring our minds to a quieter place. certainly a straight path might help keep our steps regular and deliberate. these supports are helpful, though not essential.what is vital, however, is mindful attention. each step has the potential to bring us back to the present. in a busy street a step may bring our awareness to a colour or word overheard. when the mind comes to this moment we are meditating as we walk.in a garden or a park, a step might bring our focus to a flower or a blade of grass or a child’s delighted cry and thus bring us to the present moment as we walk along.in the woods the crack of a twig underfoot or the scent of wet leaves or the sensation of silence might allow our awareness to rest in the present moment as our mindful steps take us deeper into our connection with nature.any of these walks might lead us to a healthier life…and, perhaps, to the truth.