Morning Peace Walking Meditation

This three day course is a short, thorough introduction to walking meditation. The many benefits of walking outside in nature are well documented. As little as twenty minutes can produce an anti-inflammatory response which also boosts the immune system. Walking can also help you to reduce stress, improve sleep, increase energy levels, lower blood pressure and minimise the risk of heart disease. When combined with mindfulness the benefits multiply. As you strengthen your physical muscles you also strengthen your 'mindfulness muscle' which enables you to inhabit the present moment for longer and with a greater degree of happiness and contentment. The course will begin with guidance on how walking meditation works and how to do it including a short sequence for beginning your mindful walk and useful tips for how to bring in detail to maintain your mindfulness. You will learn a method for walking outside in nature which oxygenates and energises your body and keeps you in touch with the Earth. You will also learn how to be continuously aware during your walk once you have become present. In the final lesson you will be introduced to much loved walking meditation master Thich Nhat Hanh and learn some additional approaches to mindful walking created by him, including bringing in gratitude and warmth of heart and how to use his gatha- 'I am home, I have arrived'. There will be practical tips in the final lesson that you can apply if walking is already a part of your morning routine, or if you want to bring mindful walking into it. These cover how to build up your mindfulness capacity by breaking it down into small manageable sections, how to share walking meditation in companionable silence with a friend and how to introduce mindfulness to any groups you might be part of or lead, with 'the blindfold exercise.'