Mindful Walking for Slowing Down | Meditation for Change
The world we live in is fast-paced and results-oriented. As a result, we’re thrust into automatic pilot mode to keep up. However, when we operate in this way, we end up missing out on the individual moments that make up our lives. So, our days pass us by in a blur, and these turn into weeks, months, and years. Holding the mindset “I’ll be happy one day when…” leaves us chronically unhappy as we never truly reach our imagined end state. As soon as a milestone is reached or a goal is accomplished, we set the bar higher and begin striving again.
This walking practice is a meditation on the importance of learning how to slow down and become present with each step along the path of our lives. Instead of walking for the sake of reaching an end point, we walk for the sake of experiencing. We tune into the details, such as the textures we feel under our feet, and the muscles that are at work as we move our legs. When we apply the same approach to our everyday lives, we find that there are many rich moments to appreciate. There is much to be enjoyed on our path, and when we allow ourselves to intentionally notice these things, we feel a greater sense of purpose and meaning, and we feel like we actually have more time.
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DONATE to help Beatrice (& women like her): https://www.youtube.com/redirect?v=zd...
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Beatrice’s Story (2019):
Beatrice lives in Sadala, Tanzania, where she volunteers at a local children’s centre in exchange for a roof over her head. She has also been working in business for 20 years and opened her own import/export business with the help of funds that she was provided with as a result of my initial fundraising efforts in 2011. For a time, Beatrice was able to grow her business, however, due to an unstable economy, high taxes, and a number of bribes that she’s faced from the government over the years, Beatrice began finding the work stressful and costly.
She faces 3-4 hour trips to Kenya every other day (by public transport), and has had her goods stolen at the border on several occasions. Beatrice often experiences headaches, and finds little time to relax, as she continues to help care for (and financially support) the kids at the centre, including her own daughter.
Beatrice’s Hope:
Beatrice would like to open a local wholesale store so she can spend more time at the centre with the children. In doing so, she would only need to travel to and from Kenya once per week and would risk losing fewer goods. As Beatrice has been working in business for 20 years, she would like to provide mentoring for the other women in her community, helping them set up small businesses of their own.
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Lindsay Dupuis is a mindfulness-based mental health counsellor based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She offers online services for individuals across Canada and around the globe, and she is the creator of Meditation for Change, an online meditation project aimed at supporting education and small business start-ups for women in rural Tanzania.
"By contributing pocket change in exchange for guided meditation, we might create greater change around the globe."
For information about Lindsay’s services, please visit her website:
http://www.lindsaydupuis.ca
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