Walking Meditation In New York City

OPS Name

Walking meditation in New York City

Why this OPS?

The streets of New York City can be so busy and chaotic. People rush down the street, always focusing on where they need to get to, rather than where they are. People walk quickly without looking around at the people or at their surroundings. I chose this Special OPS because anyone living in New York walks through the streets all the time and generally experiences this chaos.

Objectives

By conducting walking meditation through the streets of New York City, the objective was to allow people to touch peace while doing something that they do everyday. For those who happen to observe the walking meditation group, the objective is for them to experience some peace by watching the group walk slowly and mindfully.

How to implement it?

There was a People of Color Day of Mindfulness in New York City in the tradition of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn. I was a volunteer for the Day of Mindfulness and one of the activities was walking meditation. I held the hand of Sister Morning Light in walking through the streets of New York City for the walking meditation session.

Benefits

The responses of participants in the walk were overwhelmingly positive. Some said they felt as though time had stopped, and by walking slowly in a meditative way, they were able to take back control of the streets. Others said they never realized the streets in the city could feel so peaceful. One person commented that they heard spectators discussing the walk, where one said "What is this?" and the other responded "Oh it's a peace walk." This warmed my heart.