The Sabbath Walk
"The story is told of a South American tribe that went on a long march, day after day, when all of a sudden they would stop walking, sit down to rest for a while, and then make camp for a couple of days before going any farther. They explained that they needed the time of rest so that their souls could catch up with them.
The Sabbath walk is easily the most popular and beloved exercise among those who attend our retreats. It is a walk without any purpose, no need for insight or revelation. Simply let your soul catch up with you.
For thirty minutes walk slowly and silently -- preferably outside in nature, but it can also be done indoors -- without trying to get anywhere. It is more of an amble, a stroll. Let your senses guide your walk. If you are drawn to a leaf, a stone, a color, a chink in the concrete, a shape in the floor, the fragrance of the grass, simply stop, and linger, and allow the moment to be, to smell or touch or thoroughly observe whatever is available for you, to hear what it says, to see what it looks like, to feel what it has to say or teach. Do not hurry. There is no place to go. Take all the time you need to hear its secretes. Then when it is time, when the rhythm of being there gives way to the rhythm of moving along, when it is time to begin again, simply move on. Follow your own timing and curiosity. When you are called to stop, stop and investigate. When you are called to begin again, move on. That is all.
At the end of thirty minutes, notice what has happened to your body, your mind, your sense of time."
Quoted from Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest by Wayne Muller
The Sabbath walk is easily the most popular and beloved exercise among those who attend our retreats. It is a walk without any purpose, no need for insight or revelation. Simply let your soul catch up with you.
For thirty minutes walk slowly and silently -- preferably outside in nature, but it can also be done indoors -- without trying to get anywhere. It is more of an amble, a stroll. Let your senses guide your walk. If you are drawn to a leaf, a stone, a color, a chink in the concrete, a shape in the floor, the fragrance of the grass, simply stop, and linger, and allow the moment to be, to smell or touch or thoroughly observe whatever is available for you, to hear what it says, to see what it looks like, to feel what it has to say or teach. Do not hurry. There is no place to go. Take all the time you need to hear its secretes. Then when it is time, when the rhythm of being there gives way to the rhythm of moving along, when it is time to begin again, simply move on. Follow your own timing and curiosity. When you are called to stop, stop and investigate. When you are called to begin again, move on. That is all.
At the end of thirty minutes, notice what has happened to your body, your mind, your sense of time."
Quoted from Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest by Wayne Muller
