Cold visible breath
Sun caressing my left cheek
Morning mindfulness

Haiku Walks, Green Meditations and a Workshop

In the All We Can Save book circle I am leading, every week, we take turn answering what the editors, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson call three generous questions. Specifically, when asked the following questions:

from the PERSIST chapter:
-What do you find to be critical fuel for persistence? Where/how do you get it?

from the FEEL chapter:
-What practices help you face our planetary emergency? How might we support one another in our inner climate work?

from the NOURISH chapter:
-Of the many “re-” words in Louise Maher-Johnson’s poem Notes from a Climate Victory Garden, is there one that reflects how you connect with Earth’s living systems? Why?

I answer repeatedly that what nourishes me the most are my Nature Practices - meditations and contemplative walks in nature which I have now come to called green meditations and haiku walks.
Even in Louise Maher-Johnson’s poem, the “re-” word I resonated with the most was “re-balance” from the last line of the poem:

Rebalance: Nature knows. Mimic her. Sense her. Be her

I have talked about these Nature practices before, but since the beginning of COVID, I have had more time than ever to engage with them. They have been so instrumental in keeping me grounded in these difficult months, that I cannot but want to continue to share them with you; there are indeed powerful practices of resilience.

Green Meditations: I call them green meditations because these are meditations taken outdoors, in a garden, a park, by the beach, in a forest, sitting on a rock, where you are not only in nature, but also entirely part of nature. The adjective green comes to describe the setting, which is particularly verdant now at the beginning of Spring, but also the intention to become more green, to live on the Earth more lightly and with less destructive impact on its resources.

Haiku Walks: These can also be referred as contemplative walks, mindfulness hikes, or meandering walks. They are walks where you let your attention be drawn by a tree, a bird, or a cloud, where your are fully in your senses and in the now moment. Haikus, these short 5-7-5 syllables poems, are then effortlessly formed as you walk. They can become a photographic memory of the place you just traversed or the experience you are having while walking. For example, from a hike last week-end:

Not all trees have leaves
Sunday morning church outdoors
Wind and ducks’ rippled pond

Breaking all the rules
Dogs! no masks! vaccinated?
Beginning of Spring

If you are interested in adding these practices to your life, I share below additional resources to help you do so. Please feel free to email me with questions or to share your experiences.

I also provide links to my up-coming events and specifically to a workshop to celebrate Earth Day, organized in collaboration with Monterey Bay Meditation Studio titled Waking up to the Climate Crisis through Poetry.

I hope to see you at one of these events.

Warmly,

Anne-Marie

PS: I am also considering leading a second ALL WE CAN SAVE book circle after April. If you are interested in participating, please email me so I can judge the level of interest. Thank you.

Workshop:
Waking Up to the Climate Crisis Through Poetry

I am delighted to announce that, in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Meditation Studio, a space for meditation, connection, reflection, and learning in Pacific Grove, CA, I will be leading an online workshop to honor Earth Day and National Poetry month. The workshop Waking Up to the Climate Crisis Through Poetry will take place via Zoom on Saturday April 24 from 10am to 11:30am.
We will read texts and watch videos from artists and poets who have been inspired by their own indignation, grief and need for action in face of the deterioration of the Earth and its species, to recognize, reflect upon, share and process our own eco-emotions. Join me. Registration is through Monterey Bay Meditation Studio.

Resources for Haiku Walks and Green Meditations