Encourage students to become active learners. Get off the couch, go outside and experience nature! The following exercise can be implemented in different disciplines.
Contemplative Walk -- Attuning to Nature
Context: In this activity, you will participate in a contemplative walk. The purpose of this exercise is experiential and reflective.
As human civilization has progressed, people have increasingly moved to urban areas (World’s population increasingly urban with more than half living in urban areas, 2014). On the one hand, urban centers provide many benefits, including closer proximity to goods and services, work, and social activities. But on the other hand, urbanization also distances us from nature. It is difficult to see the beauty of the natural world amidst the towering skyscrapers, concrete roads, and paved sidewalks, and this is true even if the cities we live in are “eco-cities,” which are planned with sustainability and green space in mind.
But geography isn’t the only thing that separates us from nature. The busyness of our post-industrial and technologically-driven lives remove us from the natural world. Many of us spend our lives working in offices, and even when we venture outside the confines of the office, we turn our attention to our cell phones. We are so distracted by technology that The National Safety Council has now identified “distracted walking” as a serious cause of injuries and even death (Church, 2015). Time at home often centers on the computer or the television.
Nguyen Anh-Huong (2006), a Buddhist dharma teacher, aptly describes our postmodern human condition: “In the midst of our chaotic world, we tend to lose touch with the peace and joy that are available in each moment: the sunshine, the bird’s singing, the autumn leaves, a baby’s smile” (p. 1).
This experiential and reflective activity is designed to help you attend to nature and to attune yourself to its wonder.
Task: After reading about the walking meditation, take at least 10 minutes to an hour to go on a walk. Before you begin, close your eyes and take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Relax your shoulders, open your eyes, and begin walking. (If you must take your cell phone, please turn it off, so you will not be tempted to distraction).
As you walk, allow yourself to notice the world around you. What do you see? What do you hear and smell? As you notice each thing (sight, smell, or sound) acknowledge it, let it go, and attune yourself to the next thing that presents itself. You may use the “gatha” (a Sanskrit word for a verse, which is often used as tool of meditation) discussed in the online article, but you are not required to do so.
Delivery: After your walk, craft a 200-250 word post that describes your experience. How did you feel before the walk? How did you feel after the walk? What stood out to you as you walked and why? What will you take away from this experience?
Source: HU475 week 1
