Awareness Walk: A participatory, multi-local walk focused on sensory awareness
This walkshop is part of the Walking as a Question Walking Arts Conference held in Prespa, Greece and other locations worldwide from July 4 to 11, 2021. It is facilitated by Lethbridge walkers Sandra Cowan and Annie Martin from Canada.
This walkshop is part of the Walking as a Question Walking Arts Conference held in Prespa, Greece and other locations worldwide from July 4 to 11, 2021. It is facilitated by Lethbridge walkers Sandra Cowan and Annie Martin from Canada.
Online Gallery
Photos below are from participants in the July 6, 2021 Awareness Walk. If you want to share, please send us a snapshot your brief drawn or written response to the awareness walk to post in the online gallery. Email to [email protected]
Photos below are from participants in the July 6, 2021 Awareness Walk. If you want to share, please send us a snapshot your brief drawn or written response to the awareness walk to post in the online gallery. Email to [email protected]
Awareness Walk: A participatory, multi-local walk focused on sensory awareness
Walking as a Question:
When we walk with awareness, what asks to be witnessed? What does the walk as an interaction between our body, mind, and the terrain ask us or ask of us? The pandemic has tended to keep us closer to home, in one place, more local and aware of our locality. We are always right here, right now—when we are present and aware with all of our senses, in this particular location and at this particular time, what are the questions that are posed by our being in the world?
Awareness Walk Instructions:
An awareness walk, or walking in our senses, is a variation on a listening walk practice learned from the Canadian composer Hildegard Westerkamp. If you prefer, you can do this practice seated comfortably in an outdoor location or in front of an open window.
In this practice, we walk (or sit) in silence and tune our senses vividly to the world around us.
To prepare, we will do a sense-resting practice just before we begin to walk. Then we will walk together in silence on a 30 minute loop which will bring us back to this spot. We will close the walk with another sense-resting practice and conversation.
In our busy everyday lives, we focus our senses on perceptions that assist us, and tune out those that don’t. This is necessary as we navigate complex environments. Walking in our senses as an awareness walk is a practice of opening the senses and welcoming all the perceptions that arise, equally and simultaneously- sounds, sights, sensations of heat and cold, bodily sensations, scents - everything.
As we walk in our sensory awareness, allow your attention to take in perceptions near to you - your own footsteps, the movement of nearby plants, physical sensations. Then, slowly begin to move your awareness outward a little: behind you, to each side, below, above. Feel the space moving through you as you walk. Then, begin to tune your senses even further outward, to distant sounds, a larger space - stretch your senses to perceive very faint sensations. As we walk together, notice the sounds and sensations of walking in a group, in silence.
Sense Resting Exercise (before and after walking)
Seated or standing comfortably, close your eyes and place a fingertip in each ear or cover your ears with your palms. Turn your senses inward to the warm dark interior of your body. Notice the sounds that might be there - perhaps your heartbeat, your breathing, the creaking of joints. Notice the sensations in your body. We will relax here for about one minute. When we are done this practice, without speaking, we will begin our walk.
In Closing
After walking and resting your senses, take out a notebook and take a few minutes to respond on the page to what arose for you. You may choose to write or draw a few lines, make a drawing in response to the experience, write a poem or a note. If you walked with others, take a few moments to share your experiences with each other. If you are interested in sharing your notes/drawings from the walk more widely, please send us a photograph to upload to our online gallery.
Specifics:
The walk is scheduled for 10:00am MDT (UTC-6 or 7:00pm in Greece) on July 6, 2021, but available to do any time. There are two streams:
Multi-local/Virtual: Walkers who wish to participate in Prespa or anywhere in the world are welcome to follow the instructions above and walk on their own or with others.
Local Lethbridge: In Lethbridge the walk is available to a group of up to 10 participants. Please email [email protected] to register if you would like to join the in-person group.
Documentation:
After the walk is completed, we invite you to take a quick picture of the lines that you drew or wrote in response and email it to us so we can add it to the online gallery. Any images emailed will be added to this website and may appear in the conference documentation as well, unless you specify otherwise.
Link to Audio Instructions for Awareness Walk
