I recently had a conversation with someone about an issue they were having. I suggested they “meditate” on it, and their response was to say “Yes, I’ll think about it”. I quickly corrected them by pointing out I said meditate – as in let your mind wander & ponder.

I am not always great about taking my own advice.

Meditation, as I told the person I was talking to, should be a passive experience. Those leading meditations often say just to let the thoughts float free. However, when those thoughts carry you with them, the entire process can be an act of frustration.

I find the idea of meditation rewarding and beneficial, but I am not one to sit still for any length of time. I squirm, I shift, I roll my shoulders, and I am always opening my eyes. It is hard, even though I know it could be a valuable part of my spiritual practice.

Most of us have the list of assumed ‘holy’ behaviours: pray regularly, read the Bible, listen to or read commentaries by others who have deep thoughts on those Biblical passages, participate in eucharist/communion, say kind things, and learn to sit quietly with God.

For some of us, sitting quietly is anything but quiet. We might get a few seconds, perhaps even a few minutes, but before long the world around us is distracting us from our efforts.

Given this experience, I have embraced the idea of walking meditation, and it bears little resemblance to the scripted ‘walking meditations’ one can find online.

Walking in body is often mirrored by ‘walking’ in the mind. As your body moves, so do your thoughts.

By naming an issue and then letting it float away, we allow the issue to settle in the back of our brains to get tossed around and looking at from every angle, all while getting on with our day. Eventually the movement and the pondering will bring us to conclusions and clarity that just come to us, seemingly from nowhere. But in truth, we have been moving through life waiting for our mind in harmony with the Holy Spirit, to bring us where we need to be.

Through meditation we hear the word of God. Moving while that meditation is happening simply gets us out of our own way and gives us an easier path to hear what the Spirit is telling us.