A silent walk inspired by Zen practice, where each step is enough.
For the fifth edition of this mindful walk in nature, I have chosen the theme “Walking as Awareness”. The previous walk was about moving towards life after a period of inner stillness. This time, it’s about something even quieter: letting go of needing to move anywhere at all.
There are times when presence becomes another task — another thing to fix, achieve, or understand. Even rest can feel performative. Even walking can feel like a method.
But what if we stopped trying to do it right?
This walk is for those moments — when you no longer want to focus, strive, or manage your experience… and you’re curious what’s left when you simply let yourself walk.
Inspired by the Zen practice of Shikantaza, or “just sitting,” this walk is about resting in open, objectless awareness — walking not to arrive anywhere, but simply to be here - without needing to fix or improve anything.
You might still feel effort — and that’s okay.
Effort itself isn’t the problem. It’s the unconscious tension behind it — the pressure to improve, perform, or get somewhere — that makes presence feel hard.
Instead of trying to eliminate effort, we’ll just notice it. Gently.
And in each step, let ourselves return — not to a technique, but to what’s already here.
Through silence, stillness, and open awareness, we’ll explore the grounded spaciousness that appears when we don’t try to control the moment — when we stop filtering, fixing, or improving.
There’s no goal in this walk.
And because of that, nothing is missing.
Overview:
We’ll begin gathering at 10:30, with about 15 minutes to welcome each other and wait for anyone arriving a little later.
Around 10:45, we’ll take a short walk (3–4 minutes) to a nearby park.
There, I’ll introduce the theme, share a short personal reflection, and guide a gentle meditation — this part will take around 30 minutes.
From there, we’ll continue with a silent walk to the farm (~45 minutes), moving without rush or agenda — simply walking and noticing whatever arises.
When we arrive, we’ll first hold a sharing circle (~30 minutes) — a quiet space to reflect on the experience, say something if you wish, or simply listen.
After that, we’ll have about 1 hour to socialize and have lunch at the farm — to rest, eat, and connect. Please note that only food or drinks purchased from the farm’s shop or kitchen may be consumed on the premises.
We’ll begin the walk back together around 13:45, aiming to return to the starting point by 14:30 at the latest.
I’ll do my best to hold time clearly and adjust gently if needed. Feedback is always welcome — thank you for walking this together :)
