Do you always pray sitting down or knelling? Maybe in the same place? Well, there is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes, especially in summer, it’s great to get outdoors & move while you pray. The outdoors can also be an inspiration for your prayers.
Here’s a walking meditation for you to try:
Find something that interests you. It could be a flower, a leaf, a tree, an insect, a fence post — anything really.
Look at it. Really look at it. Give yourself some time to examine it, to find all of its details & hidden features. Really appreciate the glory & wonder of creation, even in the smallest things.
Now name it. Just tell yourself the name that you would know it as, i.e., rose, oak leaf, ant, etc. What is in a name? Would it be the same magnificent creation if it were called by another name? Try calling it another name just for fun & see how it feels. Call the rose a truck, the leaf an elephant. Yes, it’s silly, but sometimes silly is the key to greater understanding.
Breath in counting to five & out counting to ten & move on to something else.
A short walk like this can clear your mind & put you back in touch with God, realizing that human constructs like names & other importance that we put on things are not really important. What is important is gratitude & awareness. All things in God’s great universe are exactly what they are, regardless of what we call them.
