Hiking is my meditation....

In past twenty days in New Zealand, we have hiked almost 85km (52miles). Short walks, long walks, easy ones, medium to difficult ones, by the beach, in the rainforest, on the mountain, by the river, in the volcanic valley....we have covered quiet a few different landscapes. I never thought why I liked it so much....I enjoy it so I do it. Recently though, during one such hike, like a flash of light, it just hit me - so simple yet it felt so profound.  And I thought to myself....of course, what else could it be!
I love hiking because I am completely, fully IN the NOW when I hike. In those precious moments nothing else exists - it is only me and nature. I feel I am a part of it - so small yet so deeply connected to it. There is silence all around, only sounds of nature, whispering secrets into my ears that are only for me to understand, to comprehend, to follow. I do not ask trees for anything, I do not seek anything from the earth or the sky....I just give myself completely so they can guide me. No worldly thought crosses my mind, and even if it does, the gentle breeze just blows it away. When I am finished hiking, my physical body cries for attention but deep within, I feel the sense of joy and peace....of being one with nature, of being one with the Divine.
No longer I need to sit in an enclosed room trying to focus and meditate....I just need to be in nature and to be a part of it....because hiking is my meditation!