As I was driving to the airport from our recent hiking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I was talking with one of the participants in the van about her recent kayaking trip. She said how much she loved kayaking, that when she did it she just became completely absorbed in the movement and the water. I said something about how it was a very meditative activity and that I had the same experience with hiking. She disagreed and said how she had once tried meditation as part of a yoga class and had really disliked it- and as a result the concept of meditation had a very negative connotation for her.
Whether we choose to call it meditation or not, I think for many of us who love being active and love being in nature, there is a common experience of our minds quieting down, the ceaseless internal chatter at least receding into the background, as we become absorbed in the motion and in our surroundings. As this happens, we become more present. I don't hike in order to have this experience, which occurs more rarely than I would like. I hike because I love being out, and I love the way my body feels, and I love seeing panoramic scenery and wildflowers and trees. And when I have those times of feeling completely present - that is a gift.
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I can understand how breathing forms a meditative focus. In the practice of yoga, breathing is the primary way one begins meditation. While hiking, in order to set a pace for myself, I listen and am aware of my breathing first. There is a rhythm that becomes simultaneous with other sounds like my boots stepping- trekking poles. Sometimes, with a heavy pack on my back, meditative breathing in sync with my stepping is all- no chattering, just the physical awareness- the breath.
However, kayaking or canoeing for that matter, also includes movement. During these reflective, physical experiences, meditation comes within the experience itself. When practicing meditation, one
is required to sit very still, yet stay very aware of breath.
Flute playing, dancing and singing are deep, reflective forms of meditation, when there is a similar awareness of the body and breath.
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