In his essay Walking Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “Walking meditation is really to enjoy the walking—walking not in order to arrive, but just to walk. The purpose is to be in the present moment and, aware of our breathing and our walking, to enjoy each step. Therefore, we have to shake off all worries and anxieties, not thinking of the future, not thinking of the past, just enjoying the present moment.” Increasingly, this is how I try to walk (but rarely succeed).
While I am deeply grateful to Hanh for Peace Is Every Step, he argues that walking must be slow. When he states that running is a way to “print anxiety and sorrow on the Earth,” I think he is pointing a finger in the wrong direction. I agree that running through an airport is not meditative, but I also believe any form of walking, especially when done in nature, can be wonderful and beneficial. When it is done with intention and an awareness of one's breath and steps, regardless of pace, any form of walking can be meditative. As Hanh writes later in the same essay, “If you feel happy, peaceful, and joyful while you are walking, you are practicing correctly.”
Simply enjoy each step.
And breathe.
Agreed. I've been thinking about that lately as I realize how focused I sometimes am on putting miles behind me rather than reveling in the steps I have left. Of course, a beer or burger at the end of the trail also add to the complexity of the question. All in all, being able to walk or run is a good choice to have.
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