About us
Vancouver Nature & Attention Walks
Hiking, exploring nature, meeting people, and trying something different.
What if you could combine hiking, sightseeing, exercise, mindfulness and personal development into one enjoyable outdoor activity?
This group brings these experiences together through nature walks around Surrey and Greater Vancouver, with an interesting attention exercise along the way.
Regular meeting location
Hazelnut Meadows Community Park
14069 68 Avenue
Surrey, BC
Our fixed meeting point:
The entrance to the main parking lot, immediately inside the driveway from 140 Street.
Please meet the organizer at this exact location. We'll gather there and walk into the park together.
The idea
We get together, explore beautiful natural locations, enjoy the scenery and get some exercise. Along the way, we try a simple but unusual attention practice.
Each participant chooses a large, visible object in the surroundings — perhaps a magnificent tree, a mountain, a waterfall or a hill.
The exercise consists of repeatedly doing two things:
- Put the object there.
- Put all your attention on the object.
Then repeat, returning to the first instruction and using the same object.
You remain the orientation point throughout the exercise. The object is something you put there and direct your attention toward.
As you repeat the exercise, your attention may wander, and thoughts, feelings or other mental experiences may arise. The idea is to continue practising rather than getting caught up in everything that comes to mind. You can always pause or stop whenever you wish.
Why join?
One outing can combine several things people often pursue separately:
- Exercise: Get moving, walk and enjoy the outdoors.
- Nature and sightseeing: Discover beautiful landscapes, trees, mountains, waterfalls and other interesting places.
- Social connection: Meet people who enjoy exploring, learning and trying new activities.
- Mindfulness and attention: Experiment with a structured way of directing and maintaining your attention.
- Personal development and transformation: Try something different, challenge yourself and explore your own experience.
- Spiritual exploration: For those who interpret the experience that way, the exercise can also raise interesting questions about oneself, attention and one's relationship with the surrounding world.
You don't have to be interested in all these things. Perhaps you simply enjoy hiking. Perhaps you're interested in mindfulness. Perhaps you like meeting new people or discovering new places.
This activity provides common ground for people with different interests.
It also allows us to save time by combining these six experiences into one enjoyable outing, while connecting people who share any of these interests.
All for free.
Who is this for?
Anyone curious about combining outdoor recreation with an unusual mental exercise.
You don't need previous meditation experience, particular beliefs or a background in personal development. Beginners are welcome.
You can participate simply for the walk and the company, or take a deeper interest in the exercise itself.
View Hazelnut Meadows Community Park on the official City of Surrey interactive map
We'll also explore other beautiful natural locations around Surrey and Greater Vancouver as the group develops. Any changes to the meeting location will be specified in the individual event listing.
What to expect
We'll meet at a designated location, explore a scenic route, take breaks at suitable locations and have opportunities to try the attention exercise.
Each event listing will specify the route, approximate distance, duration and difficulty so you can decide whether it suits you.
Bring comfortable walking shoes, water and clothing appropriate for Vancouver weather.
Stay aware of your surroundings, footing and other trail users. The attention exercise should
only be practised when it is safe to do so. You can pause or stop whenever you wish.
This is a secular outdoor activity. There is no religious commitment, doctrine or membership expectation.
Come explore nature, meet people, get some exercise and try something new!
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Learn more about the practice
Visit our website to discover more about the attention practice, its distinctive features and what makes these walks different:
Upcoming events
No upcoming events
