A meditation program inviting participants to slow down and rest their bodies and minds as they walk along a forest trail on a small island off Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, will be held soon. The Geoje Maritime Tourism & Development Corporation and the nonprofit Our Mind Together announced on the 15th that they would hold a walking meditation program, “Geoje: Rest Your Mind as You Walk,” on the 24th on Silleung Island, Chilcheon-do, in Hacheong-myeon, Geoje, and are recruiting participants.
A small island connected by a suspension bridge: Silleung Island
Silleung Island is a small island connected to Chilcheon-do by a suspension bridge. Walking along its forest trail offers views of the sea and the surrounding islands. The program will use this trail as a setting for meditation.
The event was organized to bring new life to local tourism, which slowed after heavy rain last summer, and to express gratitude and hospitality to visitors to Geoje.
Walking meditation, body-and-mind awareness, breathing meditation and lying-down meditation, one after another
The program will run from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the 24th. Led by a professional meditation instructor, it will include walking meditation, body-and-mind awareness, breathing meditation and lying-down meditation, in that order.
Participants will walk slowly along the forest trail and tune in to the sounds of nature. When they stop, they will notice their breathing and how their bodies feel. At the end, they will lie down comfortably and meditate, letting go of tension built up in their bodies.
An introduction for people new to seated meditation
These days, people spend all day looking at screens and barely move. For newcomers, meditation can seem daunting: sitting in a quiet room and clearing the mind. Walking meditation lowers that barrier. There are clear things to focus on, such as the feeling of your feet touching the ground and the sound of waves and wind.
For people who have never meditated before, or who want to relax on a trip in a way that goes beyond taking photos, this program may offer an easy, low-pressure way to try meditation. Those who find walking comfortable and those who would rather lie down and rest can compare several approaches in one place.
Coastal meditation expands from residents to tourists
Last September, the corporation ran “Geoje: Rest Your Mind in the Moonlight,” a meditation program to help residents recover physically and mentally at Wahyeon Beach. This time, it is opening the program to tourists as well and introducing a new walking meditation that makes use of Silleung Island’s natural surroundings.
After the event, the corporation plans to review participant satisfaction and consider expanding wellness tourism programs that draw on Geoje’s natural resources, as well as developing them into tourism products. A corporation representative said the program was designed to offer a fresh way to experience Geoje’s natural beauty while walking the Silleung Island forest trail, and expressed hope that residents and tourists would take a break from their daily routines to care for their bodies and minds.
Connecting meditation with local forests and the sea brings it into travel as an experience, rather than treating it as a specialized practice. If meditation that involves moving in nature takes hold at tourist destinations across Korea, the paths to trying meditation for the first time will widen as well.
The program is open to 60 people, including Geoje residents and tourists. Registration is by phone on a first-come, first-served basis, and participation is free.
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