“As our physical bodies move through space, our minds move too. And as our minds move, God can enter into our beings because movement creates space and new possibilities.” Daniel Wolpert, Celebrating a Life with God

Discovery and surprise are what the hikes have been for me. Discovering places of beauty and quiet within the city has been a big surprise. I have been surprised by how refreshed I have been by having  a morning out in the woods. Practicing awareness of my surroundings is always full of surprises- sights, sounds, and colors.  The first hike I did with my 3 yr old son- we worked on saying the breath prayer ‘Peace be still’ (but he thought I was saying ‘please be still’). So our breath prayer became ‘Peace’. Walking with him at his pace was my discipline. We discovered so many things big and little. Our friends’ son who was hiking with us- made us all laugh for his total glee over each bug he noticed. When you hike at the pace of a 3 yr old you realize all you can miss.

Although contemplative concentration doesn’t come naturally to me I am slowly learning. I consider every minute that I can quiet my mind a victory.  One of the biggest challenges is the constant thoughts, distractions that divert my attention from being aware of my surroundings to my list of ‘to do’s’, etc.  The meditative guide suggests a breath prayer for different sections of the hike. Breath prayer is the simple style of prayer incorporating your breath and a short phase. For example- breathe in ‘peace be still’, breath out ‘peace be still’.  The rhythm of breathing and praying as you hike calms and focuses. Distractions still come, but I find that breath prayers are very easy to return to- so instead of struggling to concentrate I let the distractions come and go. Those who practice meditation and contemplation attest to the fact that there is much to be gained through the discipline of quieting our minds. They also say and I hope they are right, that bypassing the distractions is hard but it will get easier. The combination of hiking and contemplating have helped me quiet my mind, get out of my self and receive the gift of life.

Breath prayers are becoming a part of my daily life- running, washing dishes, playing with my children or when I am awake at night.

Some breath prayers I use:

“Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” (The Jesus Prayer- more about that later)

“I belong to you”

Meditative guides for Windsor Mill Conservation Trail & Gywnn Falls Trail , Cromwell Vally Park hike are available. The guides include prayers, quotes and hiking instructions. Print them out and try your hand at some contemplative concentration.

I’m looking forward to our next meditative hike: August 10th, 5pm Location TBD