In Zen retreats, we practice walking meditation. We carry the same focus and awareness of our sitting meditation into movement. Thich Naht Hahn said to “walk as if your feet are kissing the Earth.” What did he mean by this?

For many of us, we dash about, always in a hurry, scarcely conscious that we are walking the Earth, always thinking about the next thing we have to do. Our feet might be kissing the Earth, but we don’t know it. We’re missing the most intimate thing. How can we connect with our lives in the deepest way possible?