Move through nature.
Give attention a focus.

Vancouver Nature & Attention Walks

Hiking, exploring nature, meeting people, and trying something different.

What if you could combine hiking, sightseeing, exercise, mindfulness and personal development into one enjoyable outdoor activity?

This group brings these experiences together through nature walks around Vancouver, with an interesting attention exercise along the way.

The idea

We get together, explore beautiful natural locations, enjoy the scenery and get some exercise. Along the way, we try a simple but unusual attention practice.

Each participant chooses a large, visible object in the surroundings — perhaps a magnificent tree, a mountain, a waterfall or a hill.

The exercise consists of repeatedly doing two things

• Put the object there.
• Put all your attention on the object.

Then repeat, returning to the first instruction and using the same object.

You remain the orientation point throughout the exercise. The object is something you put there and direct your attention toward.

As you repeat the exercise, your attention may wander, and thoughts, feelings or other mental experiences may arise. The idea is to continue practising rather than getting caught up in everything that comes to mind. You can always pause or stop whenever you wish.

Why join?

One outing can combine several things people often pursue separately:

• Exercise Get moving, walk and enjoy the outdoors.
• Nature and sightseeing Discover beautiful Vancouver landscapes, trees, mountains, waterfalls and other interesting places.
• Social connection Meet people who enjoy exploring, learning and trying new activities.
• Mindfulness and attention Experiment with a structured way of directing and maintaining your attention.
• Personal development Try something different, challenge yourself and explore your own experience.
• Spiritual exploration For those who interpret the experience that way, the exercise can also raise interesting questions about oneself, attention and one's relationship with the surrounding world.

You don't have to be interested in all these things. Perhaps you simply enjoy hiking. Perhaps you're interested in mindfulness. Perhaps you like meeting new people or discovering new places. This activity provides common ground for people with different interests.

This allows people to save time by doing these six things all at once, as well as connecting and uniting people interested in these six different things. All for free.

Who is this for?

Anyone curious about combining outdoor recreation with an unusual mental exercise.

You don't need previous meditation experience, particular beliefs or a background in personal development. Beginners are welcome.

You can participate simply for the walk and the company, or take a deeper interest in the exercise itself.

What to expect

We'll meet at a designated location, explore a scenic route, take breaks at suitable locations and have opportunities to try the attention exercise.

Each event listing will specify the route, approximate distance, duration and difficulty so you can decide whether it suits you.

Bring comfortable walking shoes, water and clothing appropriate for Vancouver weather.

This is a secular outdoor activity. There is no religious commitment, doctrine or membership expectation.

Come explore Vancouver, meet people and try something new!