A meditation programme inviting participants to walk slowly along the forest paths of a small island off Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province and give their bodies and minds a rest is to be held. Geoje Maritime Tourism & Development Corporation and the non-profit Our Mind Together said on the 15th that they would hold a walking meditation programme, Geoje: Rest Your Mind as You Walk, on the 24th at Sireungseom, off Chilcheondo in Hacheong-myeon, Geoje, and were recruiting participants.
A small island linked by a suspension bridge: Sireungseom
Sireungseom is a small island connected to Chilcheondo by a suspension bridge. Walking along its forest paths offers views of the sea and the surrounding islands. The programme will use these paths as a setting for meditation.
The event was organised to bring new energy to local tourism, which has been subdued since the heavy rain last summer, and to express gratitude and extend a warm welcome to visitors to Geoje.
Walking meditation, body and mind awareness, breathing meditation and lying-down meditation, one after another
The programme will run from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on the 24th. Led by a professional meditation instructor, it will move through walking meditation, awareness of body and mind, breathing meditation and lying-down meditation.
Participants will walk slowly along the forest path, opening their ears to the sounds of nature. When they stop, they will pay attention to their breathing and how their bodies feel. Finally, they will experience meditation while lying comfortably and letting go of tension held in the body.
An introduction for those new to seated meditation
These days, people spend all day looking at screens and move their bodies very little. For beginners, sitting in a quiet room and emptying the mind can feel like a high hurdle. Walking meditation makes that first step easier: there are clear things to focus on, such as the feeling of your feet touching the ground and the sound of waves and wind reaching your ears.
For people who have never tried meditation, or those who would like to relax in a different way from taking photographs while travelling, the programme could offer a low-pressure opportunity to experience it. Those who find walking comfortable and those who would rather rest lying down can compare several approaches in one place.
Coastal meditation expands from residents to visitors
Last September, the corporation ran a meditation programme, Geoje: Rest Your Mind in the Moonlight, on Wahyeon beach to help residents recover in body and mind. This time, it is widening participation to include visitors and introducing a new walking meditation that makes use of Sireungseom’s natural setting.
After the event, the corporation plans to review participant satisfaction and other feedback, and consider expanding wellness tourism programmes based on Geoje’s natural resources and developing them as tourism products. A corporation representative said the programme had been prepared to give participants a fresh experience of Geoje’s nature as they walked the forest paths of Sireungseom, and added that they hoped residents and visitors would have time to step away from everyday life and care for their bodies and minds.
Connecting the region’s forests and sea with meditation brings it into travel as one part of a trip, rather than treating it as a specialised practice. If meditation involving movement in nature takes root at tourist destinations across South Korea, the gateway for people trying it for the first time will widen too.
The programme is open to 60 people, including Geoje residents and visitors. Applications will be accepted by phone on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation is free.
Enquiries about the article: fare3041@naver.com