Event Description

The public is invited to join fellow Seekers and Rosicrucian students at 11:30am EDT on Saturday, October 12th for an outdoor Mindfulness Walking Meditation at Farandnear Reservation in north central Massachusetts (Shirley, MA). From the website: “Along its easy wooded trails, you’ll find fields of wildflowers, an arboretum full of more than 80 cool conifer trees, the remnants of an old cranberry bog, and Paradise, a 10-acre parcel where huge hemlocks grow. Keep your ears open throughout your journey: you’ll hear lots of birds calling, including black-capped chickadees, catbirds, and barred owls.”

A mindfulness walking meditation, which lasts about 20 – 30 minutes, is a mindful practice where you bring awareness to the active intentional movement of walking. While walking, you are mindful of your body, your mind, your place in the world, and all five of your senses as you follow a path, one step at a time. It is not the destination that is important – it is the journey!

For this walk, you can choose one of two paths to follow: (1) A path through the woods – there are some slight inclines and declines in this very wooded area, and much of the path contains tree roots; or (2) A walk through the arboretum and garden area – this is a mostly flat, grass-covered surface area.

A few of the benefits of following this type of practice include: A deeper connection to the earth and the environment; stress and anxiety reduction; improved concentration, memory and focus; improved quality of sleep.

Please send us an email via our website, no later than midnight, Friday, October 11th, if you plan to attend, so we will know to expect you before starting our walk Saturday morning. We will meet in the parking area outside the gate and go into the park area together. This is a public park, and there is no cost to access the property.

Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes, and you are encouraged to bring some water to drink. There are bathrooms located in the Visitors Pavilion, if needed.

We hope you can join us, and we look forward to sharing this experience with you at the Farandnear Reservation, 156 Center Road, Shirley, MA!