Those who Wander need not always be Lost

Whilst meditation doesn't have to be with your eyes closed, its great practice to begin your wander with an open mind and to open all your other senses. To really understand where you are, you have to feel it, smell it, hear it and breathe it. Of course, this is always easier said than done but it is not impossible to achieve and you don’t need to be a Zen guide or Meditation Guru to try. Whatever kind of day you might be starting, having or have had, take a moment for yourself and be where you are.

So close your eyes...wherever you are in the world. You could be up a mountain, in your garden, in a woodland, park, street or beach. If it is possible, take off your shoes and socks, if you are wearing any and if not, gently place the palms of your hands onto the ground. What do you feel under your feet/hands where you are now standing, ready to begin your walk? What are the textures, sensations, sounds if any? Try to focus on what you will be walking on so that you will begin to feel grounded with where you are.

Now take a gentle deep breath through the nose and exhale all of your worries, tensions and pains out through the mouth. Let your body relax into your stance and continue to gently breathe. Ask yourself, what particular scents catch your nose? How strong are they? Do they remind you of anything, trigger any thoughts or memories? And allow yourself to feel whatever emotion or sensation this scent brings to you.

All the while you are standing here adjusting to your surroundings, life around you continues to move and grow. What can you hear? Any traffic? Birdsong? Rustling? People or voices? The wind or simply silence? Allow for its presence but let it sit in the background and not overwhelm everything else that you are experiencing. Remember to just breathe in the meantime. Developing a soft rhythm and pace in your breath will help, in turn, to pace your wander.

Before you begin to walk, take a final moment to note how you feel, here in this moment. Not just in terms of being hot or cold or what is beneath your feet and surrounding you, but the emotions are you experiencing with this complete surrender to yourself. Make a mental or physical note of these feelings as you will come to address them when you finish your wander.

Now open your eyes. It feels overwhelming perhaps or is it the opposite? A serenity settles around you? There is nothing you should be feeling in particular and your experience is only yours. Allow yourself to accept whatever it is, because it is perfectly OK. When you feel calm, settled and have established your steady breath, it is time to begin your walk.

Don’t forget your shoes and socks, or remain barefooted should you so wish. And it is probably best to keep your eyes open now. If you can, try not to let your thoughts wander with you. Simply be where you are. Always come back to your senses, what can you hear, what do you see, what can you smell and what do you feel? These are likely to change throughout your walk, just as they do throughout your life.

By being present in the moment, I like to think that you are giving yourself purpose. You are saying to yourself, “Hey, I’m here. This is where I want to be in this moment and in my lifetime and this is what I want to do with the time that I have been given.” Each moment that you curate and cultivate, will gradually add up to a day, a week, month, year and lifetime of hopefully, little regret, fulfilment, pleasure and happiness, because of the time you took to choose what you wanted most out of that little moment of self-truth.

Where are you now? Note how the speed and way in which you walk and even the direction. Do you know where you are headed? If you don’t, follow your feet, your mood and your mind as it is. If you do, why are you headed there? How does your destination affect you in this moment if at all? Is there anything you want to get out of this? If you find your mind wandering from these questions, bring yourself back to the rhythm of your breath and all your other senses. How do you feel?

Throughout your wander, however long you wish it to be, if you notice that your mind is somewhere else, calmly bring it back to your current surroundings. Take a pause in your walk and close your eyes again. Take your deep breath, feel the ground beneath you, smell the air around you and listen for the noise that occupies your background. Where are you?

As you come to the end of your wandering stride, ask yourself what you are feeling at this moment. What are you sensing? And breathe. Think back on how you felt as you first closed your eyes and prepared for you walk. Do your emotions compare? Do you feel you have taken a journey through yourself and understood more about you and where you are? I hope that you do.

Because those who wander need not always be lost.