Nature's Dance (Silent Walking)
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This morning I was watching one of my cats, Penelope, enjoying herself in our backyard where the lawn meets the edge of the woods. Who knows what she was thinking about, but she had a wonderfully serene look on her face. She actually blended in so well with her surroundings she was difficult to spot initially.
Not only was she enjoying the warm sun, the cool breeze, the wonderful sounds of the forest and all the pleasing smells of the morning, she was also walking with such deliberate grace. Her walk was absolutely silent.
At other times, Penelope can be rather loud for a cat when she is running up the stairs of our deck or up the stairs from the basement. When she is excited and playful, she runs around the house and sounds like a miniature horse galloping across the wood floors.
But outside, her walk had a completely different rhythm. I was close enough that I should have been able to hear her paws in the dried leaves and grass, but it was as if her walk was harder to hear for some reason. As I watched her, my mind calmed down and became increasingly more still and the muscles in my face, neck and back began to relax. I was actually entering a kind of meditation as I watched my cat walking!
As my mind quieted and my body relaxed, I noticed Penelope was walking with a certain rhythm that was not immediately obvious. It wasn’t exactly a musical rhythm, but definitely a deliberate rhythm.
I was then reminded of the Silent Walking that can be learned by people. This silent walking goes by many names but is usually not taught directly because the student is left to learn it on her own as a natural progression as her martial arts skills develop toward mastery.
Although a martial artist may use the technique of silent walking to hide from an attacker or to sneak up on an attacker, there are many other uses for this very special and rare skill.
Is it any wonder that in order to truly hide from someone the mind must be still and silent? Ever watch children try to sneak up on one another? They use a particular rhythm of movement and posture. The natural movement and play of a child is actually teaching a very important spiritual lesson.
The Silent Walk is available to everyone but hidden from the busy and distracted mind. Although hidden, it has powerful effects. It allows a person to become more hidden from the casual observer and allows a person on a spiritual path to have a better connection with his Spirit.
The Silent Walk begins with listening. You must listen very intently and deliberately but always with deliberate enjoyment and pleasure. The more you listen and enjoy what you are hearing, the more you will accomplish this deep meditative state.
You listen to the sounds of nature … the most beautiful symphony a human ear can experience. You listen and most importantly enjoy the music of the birds, squirrels, leaves in the wind, grasses on the ground moving in the wind, and anything and everything you hear. And when you are truly enjoying with serene pleasure all that you hear, your mind will become more still and silent. Your body will become more relaxed. Your movement will become more natural and graceful. Your footfalls more soft … and silent. As you go deeper and deeper into the sounds of the forest or wherever you happen to be in nature, not only will your mind become silent and your body relaxed, your movement will follow the rhythm of nature. You will be following Earth’s Heartbeat. You will be truly doing Nature’s Dance.
At this point, you will enter a deep spiritual silence. As you maintain this deeply quiet but awakened and healing state, the casual human will not hear you. And they may not see you. The four-legged and the feathered beings, however, will recognize your Dance and welcome you to their realm. They will enjoy your Presence and allow you to enjoy theirs. They will let down their guard in front of you.
Enjoy now with your Spirit when a butterfly settles on your nose. Or when a small fawn starts to approach you in the woods. You will see animals that usually hide from humans. You will be rewarded with the opportunity to watch them go about their business unafraid of your Presence.
You are now truly One with Mother Earth and all her Children.
DJC
The Ninja Doctor has been a practicing physician for more than 20 years, a devoted martial arts student for more than 18 years and a “fitness enthusiast” for more than 35 years.