There are many forms of meditation, and many different purposes for it too. Meditations for cultivating compassion, stilling the mind, achieving focus and clarity, healing, listening to your inner voice, or connecting with the formless spirit beyond all things just to name a few. One form of meditation that has grabbed my attention recently is walking meditation. Usually we just go from A to B without even noticing our surroundings, without any awareness of what small wonders could be on the path before us. What we are lacking is mindfulness. I believe, and many other people believe, that mindfulness is a hugely important quality. Why? It means being free from the bonds of your past and free from the worries of the future to deeply experience the only thing that is truly real - the endless present. It also means being free from your own mind too! I am my own perfect example of someone who is trapped by their own thoughts - they whirl round and round inside my head, filling it with needless clutter and incessant stress. There is no silence. And silence, along with mindfulness, is something we all need in our lives.
We achieve mindfulness through connection with the present moment - not with the replays of the past, or the visions of the future, or by identifying ourselves with thoughts in our head. They are all either transient, or not even real at this point. It's just about being present, about the experience of simply being (I say simply as if it's an easy thing - it's not!).
One way that I try to connect myself with the present moment is through photowalks. Which is literally going out and walking with your camera, taking pictures of whatever catches your curiousity. But there are certain (but few) self imposed parameters that I follow when I aim to use my photowalk as a walking meditation.
1) Set the right intention
2) Use a threshold as a trigger
3) Set no expectations
Set the right intention
Mindset is totally important. It's what differentiates an aimless walk from a walking meditation. There are a couple ways you could do this. One is by going through some deep and calming breaths, while creating the vision in your mind of the
feelings you want to achieve - lightness of spirit, awareness, connection and mindfulness. Feel these emotions in your mind and your body. How we envision this will be different for all of us, but even just focusing on your breath will bring awareness into the body rather than your thoughts, which sets the right tone for your photowalk. Another way is to simply state your intention, either in your head or out loud. I personally prefer to say out loud my intention, something along the lines of "This photowalk will be a practice in the art of connection and truly being present in myself and the world." Speak from your heart, it will always be more powerful.
Use a threshold as a trigger
It's easier to focus on the present moment when we step away from our everday situations, where we aren't reminded of all the things we need to do or have experienced there. One way to help us enter the present moment more readily is the use of a threshold. A threshold is simply an object or thing that marks the end of one place to another - such as a door. In this case, we are using a threshold as an way to leave behind all our wordly worries and enter into a state of mindfulness. For me, my threshold is this wondrous sight everytime I get to the entrance of the park:
When I see this, I automatically sigh, and feel like the pressure on my shoulders and spirit has been lifted. Because I use this entrance every time I go for my photowalk, it becomes easier and easier to associate this vision with a state of simply being and opening myself up to the present moment. It is up to you to find your own. It could be the end of a certain road, your first steps on a woodland path, even your front door. Whatever it is, it is your marker to release your expectations and concerns and enter a state of being.
Set no expectations
This can be hard, especially for people who feel that everything they do has to have some kind of productive outcome. Simply being is, well, simply being! Enter into the photowalk with a spirit of playfulness, detached curiousity and adventure. It is not about taking good photos. It is not about willing yourself to be in a meditative state. Just be aware, take note, and let the treasures that the path hold for you open up. The photography part of the walking meditation is simply about training your eye to appreciate the things you would otherwise not notice, to acknowledge the beauty and richness already present, and then move on and continue the journey.
Opening up to experience
With all that being said, just go and enjoy the experience. What's great about photowalk as meditation is the feeling of peace and tranquility during and aftwerwards. But also, on a deeper level, is the feeling that you find yourself in everything you see. When you live in the present moment, the only true reality, everything simply exists and lives in balance with each other. I've by no means achieved what I would call sustained moments of presence, but the more I practice using my photowalks as meditations in their own right the more glimpses of presence begin to appear, like jewels glinting beneath the earth. With time, it has become easier to feel, and easier to recognise, and it makes me all the more eager to taste mindfulness more and more in my life.
Go and find your own moments =)
