Dec 13th 2017

“Kiss the earth with your feet. Bring the earth your love and happiness.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Our life on this planet is a sacred journey of awakening our individual and collective consciousness. Amidst the challenges we encounter in the microcosm and macrocosm, we neglect to be present; forget we are Earthwalkers; forget we are home. Separation from a sense of rootedness may lead to anxiety, loneliness, depression, and other states of being which sometimes linger longer than they should.

The intent of this walking meditation is to draw a community together in creating an energetic temple as we walk in meditation through the gardens of the Garfield Park Conservatory. With each step, we arrive home in our bodies, mind, and environment. At home, we find peace and healing. By consciously walking on earth, we remember our roots and connection to Earth in the purest sense: with feet planted firmly on the ground.

This practice has been inspired by the teachings of Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and master teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. He teaches that collective prayer and intention setting is more powerful as a sangha, a community that comes together to create and project magnified spiritual energy to heal, create awareness, understanding, harmony, and love.

As a collective, we will contemplate what it means to be home amidst displacement, gentrification, and overwhelming impact of media which moves us away from our spiritual home in this present moment.

Our meditation practice amongst the gardens will begin with a few minutes of centering our body, mind, and breathwork to internalize the collective intention we are creating. The silent walk will follow the path through a majestic plant kingdom who share with us their wisdom, oxygen, love, and presence.

Depending on your pace, it may take 30-40 minutes before arriving, full circle, back at our starting point where we will close our practice in gratitude and sharing of experiences.

Below you will find more information on the practice. The video is highly recommended. 🙂

Thich Nhat Hanh – Walking Meditation:

More on Walking Meditation: https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-meditate-thich-nhat-hanh-on-walking-meditation/

On Sangha (spiritual group practice): https://www.lionsroar.com/the-practice-of-sangha/

Deliberate Practice is a space keeping experiment conceived by its collaborators during discussion of ritual, community, and displacement at Rootwork Gallery. We imagine these spaces as an opportunity to examine what keeps us rooted and how we thrive amidst the myriad forms of disruption present in modern life. Each experience will mine the collective intelligence for new and ancient tools that may serve as a rudder when other parts of life feel unstable.

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