The part of yesterday's meditation class I enjoyed the most, surprisingly, was when our teacher sent us into the grounds of the school where the lessons take place, to enjoy a fifteen minute stroll by ourselves.
He wasn't just playing for time, or getting rid of us so he could update his parking ticket. The purpose of the exercise was to enjoy a moment of mindful walking; taking in our surroundings with awareness, rather than being swept up with the thoughts in our head.
This is something I've been trying to do more of late. I frequently find myself on my way to a gig, already in performance mode, wasting mental energy going over the same racing thoughts until suddenly, I'm at the railway station, wondering where that twenty-five minute walk went. It's disconcerting when you can't remember whether you looked before you crossed the road, or if bought or shoplifted that Cadbury's Twirl. It's much nicer to take in the colour of the flowers or the sweetness of the baby moorhen you pass enroute.
(Too specific?)
Admittedly, I'm making a similar mistake now, by writing this blog on the train into London, trying to get it finished before I pull into King's Cross. Too much of my time is taken up with deadlines at the moment, with every minute accounted for. This is something I'll try to address, once the beast that is the Edinburgh Fringe has passed.