Meditation in Motion

Meditation in Motion

When  sitting doesn’t work, and lying down seems too much like a nap, there is always walking meditation.  Here’s the idea – you walk, usually back and forth, not trying to get anywhere, taking each step deliberately.  If there is a labyrinth near you – lots of churches are adding them now – that’s one way to give your practice a framework. Just for inspiration, here is a website that helps you find labyrinth’s around the world.  OK, so if there isn’t a labyrinth, you can use a hallway, or just walk around the same block over and over.  At one point I enrolled in a self-study mindfulness meditation training program – sort of a pre-requisite to teacher training – and the final day long retreat included a few rounds of walking meditation.  Due to the weather and other stuff, I wound up doing mine walking back and forth, up and down a hallway in a rental condo, and it worked just fine.

It’s pretty tempting to pass off just any old walk as a walking meditation, but there is something about walking TO somewhere that changes the dynamic.  On the other hand, as nice as it is to do this kind of thing in the quiet woods or along a waterfront, it works in a busy city too – a nice walk around the block, and around, and around, and around. . . . . . .

Human Nature at the Morton Arboretum

Human Nature at the Morton Arboretum

My husband and I are dedicated no-car people since we moved full-time to downtown Chicago five years ago.  Unfortunately the pandemic had different ideas and rental car prices forced us to make the responsible choice and buy a car again.  The good news is, it has removed the friction involved in taking spontaneous day trips.  This morning the high heat and humidity backed off and we headed for the Morton Arboretum.  There’s always something great in over 1700 acres at this “tree museum”, but seeking out Daniel Popper’s installation of enormous sculptures  –  the Human Nature series – gives a sense of destination to our wandering.

I especially liked this one.  I’m drawn to labyrinths and mazes – I’ve used the term “wayfinding” to describe my approach to my consulting business for several years – and this woman actually has one carved into the inside of her brain!