Free Mindfulness Walk - The Art of Letting Go

"If you want to fly in the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go of the past that drags you down." Amit Ray, author, and spiritual teacher

Letting go of painful thoughts and emotions is often easier said than done. In this series of short and mostly gentle walks in a delightful woody area hidden in a lovely nature preserve in Citrus Heights, you will learn nine practices to help make the process of letting go easier.

Some of these mini-walks along the Stock Ranch Nature Preserve trail incorporates practices from various spiritual traditions such as Taoism and that of ancient Egypt. For the most part, you will be in a reflective mode and will not have to discuss your problems on this walk. However, there will be one exercise in which you will be asked to discuss an issue in your life in which you are having difficulty letting go. This could include difficulty letting go of a habit, a belief, a person, or anything else. The point of the exercise will not be to counsel one another on your issues. What you will do is learn a practice to help shift your mind in a way that will help you let go and move on to something else much faster.

If this interests you, please join us on this free, semi-shady walk. Although part of it is paved, there are some graveled areas, undulations, hills, and one creek to cross that might have water in it. A good balance is required. A walking stick is advisable for those unaccustomed to this type of terrain. Please know that you are responsible for your own well-being and understand there are risks associated with being in a forested area. Drought conditions can make walking or standing under dry trees potentially hazardous.

Important note: NO FACILITIES. I will attempt to finish on time. You might try using Costco or Walmart bathrooms before or afterward.

Please bring/wear:

A leaf or lightweight twig
A problematic issue of any size that you wouldn't mind sharing
Comfortable Walking Shoes to wear
Bottled Water

Optional:

Hat
Sunglasses
Walking Stick
Mask (social distancing will be observed)

We will meet at the South Park Entrance. Directions from two separate areas are as follows:

(From Greenback and Fair Oaks and parking at South Entrance)
Driving on Greenback Lane at Greenback and Fair Oaks Blvd and heading West toward Auburn Blvd, Pass San Juan Ave and turn Right onto Fountain Square Drive. Fountain Square Drive will run into a roundabout at Stock Ranch Road. You will pass by City Hall shortly before you get to the roundabout. Veer right on the roundabout to turn left onto Stock Ranch Road and drive for about a block until it dead-ends near Aspen Gardens Way. You may park on the street near the dead-end. Lots of shady spots are available. If you are late, look for us walking in a line on the bridge, which is left of the South Entrance. Stay at the end of the line and try to follow along. You can exchange greetings later.

(From Auburn Blvd and parking at Costco. You'll walk to the South Entrance--Please figure about 5 minutes to cross the bridge.)
From Auburn Blvd, turn into the Costco Parking lot and park near the back at the right-hand side of the building from the street. Get out of your vehicle. Head toward the very back of the store for the driveway area between the store and the parking lot. You should see a path open up in the vicinity. To your left, you might spot a sidewalk that runs parallel to Costco. Ignore that. However, a few yards straight ahead or to your right (depending on where you stand) you will see a wooden bridge. Take the bridge to the other side, which will be the South Entrance. Look for us in the vicinity. If you are a bit late, you might run into the group in a line crossing the bridge in the opposite direction you are headed. Head for the back of the line and you can exchange greetings and catch up with what we are doing later.

Hope to see you there!

The event organizer is fully vaccinated against COVID19.