Always having been inspired by the beauty and mystery of Mother Nature and how reliant we are upon her for just staying alive and finding our own truth through just being with her, Anil and I started our first monthly "Walking Into Stillness" gathering with the intention of sharing this nourishing space and time with others.



9 noble friends met at the Epping Forest car park last week, walked further into the forest and then started a walking meditation for about half an hour focusing on each step as it made contact with the Earth from the heel to the toe. A challenging exercise for many who are not used to being quiet amidst others. A progression into being fully in the present moment is what slowly and naturally emerged. As we got deeper into the forest and off the beaten track, the group sat in meditation for 20 minutes, was then led into a Breathing Awareness exercise followed by expressing our gratitude to our "lungs outside our bodies" - the trees. A sense of strong emotion, heart felt connection, deep appreciation and oneness was simply unfolding as each member of the group spent time with the trees.



A circle of sharing revealed the depth that each individual went into within themselves by allowing quietude in the lap of nature.  This was followed by a picnic amidst the fallen leaves and tall trees looking over us.  Then it was time to allow the child within each one us to explode out with some fun and games. This also included balancing on a long log spotted by Aymen our youngest member of the group.

Here are some of the sharings from the circle.

Aslam shared that from young age he was connected to nature but in more recent times when he walked in nature he has always been talking or distracted with others. However, the walking meditation allowed that stillness within him to again reconnect with trees nature like when he was younger.

Minaz expressed that she found the walking meditation hard in the beginning but as she got more into it she felt her feet touching and making contact with the Earth. She said that she's been experiencing pain in her feet recently and felt the knots in her feet loosening as she did the walking meditation. She also found that the Breathing Awareness exercise allowed her to feel connected to the earth and trees.

Trishna shared that she first found the walking meditation pace fast but slowly found that she could walk a bit faster and still keep connected to the sensations in her feet. She also found that she transitioned effortlessly from the walking meditation to the sitting meditation. Stillness came quicker than it normally would when she just sits to meditate.

Ani mentioned that she initially found walking in the group challenging but as everyone developed their own pace it felt more natural. At the end of the walking meditation when we stopped to take in any part of nature around us, Ani found this a deep experience where she felt still like a tree that has been standing there for many years. She felt we all were like trees and naturally part of the surroundings.

Amen (9) our youngest member of the group said he enjoyed it. When he was asked why, he said that he had never been quiet before.

Uday (15) our second youngest member of the group expressed that he felt peaceful.

Imen shared that she found it really difficult as her tendency of "wanting it all" by having all the experiences that were being offered was pulling her in many directions. But what she realised was that when she focused on the sight sensation, the heightened sound and smell sensations that arose fell away. It pointed out to her that it was possible to limit the distractions of the mind.

Nisha expressed that her Mother Earth connection rose up from within her and though she may not be able to stop all the damaging effects we are having on our planet, she can in her direct relationship with Mother Earth seek forgivenss and express her deep love and gratitude to her.

Anil mentioned that he found his breathing effortless when among trees and nature unlike being in the city. He enjoys the deep stillness he finds within himself once he steps into nature.



Here's Imen's share which I've borrowed from her Facebook post with her permission.

Imen Trabelsi feeling blessed.
September 18 at 7:09pm · London

Proud mum today!
For the first time, the boys joined me and friends today for a walking and sitting meditation at Epping Forest. They partook graciously and enjoyed the meditations and sharing circle!
What's more they want to do it again and join in future too!! Hooray!!!

Anil and I look forward to hosting all those who attend these monthly "Walking Into Stillness" walks and together nurture, nourish and dance with Mother Nature in all her seasons.

With metta
Nisha