Rewilding by Micah Mortali

Author:Micah Mortali
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sounds True, Inc.

WALKING WITH AWARENESS

Here is an awareness practice for walking in the woods, which I call “Don’t Step on a Twig!” The goal with this walking meditation is to avoid stepping on twigs and making loud sounds that startle the forest. In order not to do this, though, there are a few things you need to do.

The first is that you need to pay attention to how you are walking. Most of us walk heel to toe, which means that when we take a step, our heel lands first and then we roll onto the front of the foot. This way of walking came about when we started wearing shoes with heels for walking in cities and on cobblestone streets. On hard surfaces, there is less need to be gentle and skillful with our gait. When our ancestors walked barefoot, however, they walked toe to heel. They explored the terrain with the ball of the big toe, rolled their weight out to the pinky toe side of the foot, and then gradually lowered the heel. When you walk this way, you have much more awareness of the terrain and can avoid applying too much downward pressure on twigs and sticks, which will prevent you from making a lot of noise.

Try to walk this way barefoot at home before trying it in a park or in the woods and notice the difference: Lift your foot slowly, place the ball of the big toe first, feeling to make sure that the surface below doesn’t make a sound. Then roll to the outer edge of your foot, still sensing the surface below, and adjusting accordingly. Slowly and mindfully, lower your heel down. If you sense something under your heel, do not lower it all the way down. Instead, keep the weight on the front of your foot as you lift the other foot to continue walking. You’ll need to keep your knees slightly bent, and you may even place your hands on your thighs just above your knees for support. Tom Brown Jr. and Jon Young call this “the Fox Walk.”

You will also need to walk more slowly and mindfully than you normally do. If you do this while breathing consciously, the combination of breath awareness and slow, mindful steps will completely change your experience when you’re outdoors moving over land and through different ecosystems. You may also begin to relate more deeply to deer medicine and find yourself blending into the landscape.

It is important to pause regularly when walking in this way and to pay attention to what is moving all around you. Over time you will find that your senses get stronger.

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