Mountain meditation
This morning I was up in the mountains of Arthur’s Pass. Walked slowly on the track to Mount Rolleston along the Otira valley walk. Every step was mindful, slow, feeling the step. As the rocks rolled beneath the sole, felt the movement of the rocks beneath. Felt where the feet were, the ground beneath the feet. The murmur of the mountain streams, and the roar of Otira River in the gorge below. We went after a day of heavy rains, the waterfalls were gorgeous, and there was snow on the mountain tops. Forests and rivers have their own sounds and sights. It was a slow, steady pace of feeling every pace as I walked.
This was walking meditation at its best. In walking meditation, the idea is to put one foot forward, feel the balance of the body as you shift the foot from one position to another, then shift the balance again. Watch your breath as you step on. Ajan Chah would advise to watch your breath and synchronise as you walk. One foot then another. As you lift the foot, in-breath, as you put the foot down, out-breath. Thich Nhat Hanh advises put your foot down as a king would write a decree as The Buddha would have said.
So step by step, 🙂
- Stand tall and prepare to move.
- Lift one foot (say the left foot, as a left-hander, I find the right foot rise automatically), and note how the balance shifts to your other foot
- Take a breath or note how the breath is synchronised
- Drop the foot, note how the heel touches first and then the balls of the toes and you move forward through the air
- At which point the other foot gets raised, and the out-breath flows out of the body
- Feel the surface, feel the wind across your body, feel how you move forward in space. Feel how the body and how the persona moves.
Mark a series of steps 10 paces in one direction and walk like this. Slowly, deliberately, paying attention to the process of movement. Then turn back, all the time mindfully paying attention to the movement.
It is said that you need 10, 000 paces every day for a healthy life. It does not mention whether they need to be mindful paces. Do 10 mindful paces, slow, deliberate paces back and forth. This was The Buddha’s practice.
In my mountain walking, I adopted the practice but here it was walking on the mountain track. It was a slow, deliberate walk, paying close attention to the process of walking. My destination was not the mountaintop but was the process of walking itself. Slow, deliberate, putting the feet across, feeling the ground, feeling my mind, noting how the rocks shifted beneath my feet, the murmur of the rivers, and the sound of the cascades by the way.
A few things worth mention:
- Walk at a steady pace, not necessarily very slow but slower than your usual pace.
- As thoughts arise in the mind, watch them but bring the attention back to the process of walking at all times. Be gentle with the thoughts.
- Stop every now and then, take time to pay attention to your breath and watch the scenery and take it all. As I was walking along the Otira valley, known for its spectacular scenery, the stops were often. Stop, pay attention to the scene, pay attention to your breath, and move on.
- Syncrhonise if you can, your breath with the pace of your walk. Makes it much more fun.
- Negotiate obstacles and river crossing with mindful breathing and walking and stepping.
