When I was 23 years old, I had the pleasure of attending a day of Mindfulness with Thich Nhat Han, the Vietnamese Zen Teacher, poet, and peace activist. My practice, my path really, began when I found his book, Peace is Every Step, in a used bookstore. It was the first book of mindfulness I read. It was the first book that spoke straight to my heart.

During that day of practice with Thay (as he is often called), I was introduced to walking as meditation. Because Thay has such a powerful presence, my first experience with this practice was profound. I felt in some ways as if I was arriving in my body for the first time. I cried. I walked silently and slowly down the Colorado street behind a being so full of love, that I was aware of myself as love. I cried and cried and cried. Thay offered us a poem of his to work with as we walked

I have arrived

I am home

In the here and the now

I feel solid, I feel free

In the ultimate I dwell

I use these words in my practice to this very day. I have even offered them in some of my yoga classes as a moving meditation.

On a practical note, walking meditation can be a great bridge, a way to bring our practice out of formal meditation and into our daily life. One mindful, present step can snowball into a life lived with fullness, intention, and clarity (even while washing the dishes!)

one step, and then the next. again and again. coming home.

Here is an article That Thich Nhat Hanh wrote on walking meditation if you would like to explore his work .

Wholeheartedly,

Kim