Grace for the Journey

By Tonya Stanfield

 “Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” – Thich Nhat Han

A Mindful Walking Practice:

• Begin: Take a deep breath. Calm your mind. Become present.

• Touch the set of 3 Colour Beads: Breathe in and take your first step. Say: “Yes. Yes. Yes.” (Yes to life. Yes to this moment. Yes to the Divine.)

• Touch the next set of 3 Colour Beads: Exhale and say: “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

• Pay attention to the sole of your feet meeting the ground with the attitude of kissing the earth as it rises up to greet you.

• Time the words to fit your strides and keep thoughts to a minimum.

*Practice created by Thich Nhat Hahn

We all need grace for the journey. No one is exempt from suffering or injustice.

Yet, every one of us longs for that mythical pass to avoid pain. At Not I But We, we ache to see justice done in the lives of the trafficking survivors we employ. However, in this nation, justice is a rare commodity. The entire system is riddled with inefficiency and corruption. Weekly, we watch that lack of justice compound the suffering of survivors we’ve come to love. 

Yet, like a divine irony, we’ve also watched our artisans regain hope and deepen their resilience. Not all at once. Not immediately. Definitely not because they’ve received justice or emerged from their own suffering. Yet, somehow, one by one, they find grace for the journey. A small miracle never to be taken for granted. 

This is why I call her ‘Grace.’ She was a child bride and after decades of living as a subservient human in an abusive marriage to a man twice her age, she finally escaped. For the past two years, we’ve watched this resilient, talented woman battle for justice amid a corrupt system not stacked in her favor. We’ve witnessed those moments it has nearly destroyed her health and each time she rose from the flames, that much stronger and more determined. 

I think many people envision survivors of trafficking restarting their lives in safe and peaceful environments. At least in South Africa, this couldn’t be further from the truth. When income and funding are limited, housing has to be affordable. Grace lives in a walk-up flat with roommates, off a busy main road over the roar of crowds, constant crime, hooting taxis, and semi-trucks delivering goods. This is the soil from which her new life is forced to spring.

As Spiritual Director at Not I But We, my joy is to offer our artisans bespoke retreats. As a trauma informed office, we know their nervous systems desperately need these breaks. Grace desired only two things for her retreat: quiet and long walks in nature.  

In scientific terms, she desired co-regulation to bring her nervous system back into balance. We cannot always do this alone. Often deep breathing isn’t enough. Nature is an ever-present friend for our nervous systems.

• Studies suggest your body feels this benefit in as little as 5 minutes. 

As Grace walked by a quiet creek the earth grounded her, calming the part of her brain forever tasked to detect danger.

• She did not need to know walking increases endorphins and reduces cortisol, the stress hormone. 
• Studies also show experiencing awe and wonder offers permanent benefit to our brains and our health.
• So, as Grace gazed from a gazebo at mountains, fields, and mischievous baboons, a sense of awe impacted her brain, broadened her perspective, and lessened negative emotions. 

Nature is constant. It remains. Fires may burn. Leaves Fall. Yet, it endures - quiet and dignified. The creativity of the colors and playfulness of creatures always return - resilient and life producing. Nature communes with our bodies in its own language – one we all speak deep down.

“When you step outside and engage with the world in quiet listening, prayer will happen, and it will take on its own way of being for you.” – Kaitlin Curtice

I also spent time at that retreat centre, facing my own unresolved challenges. I walked a mountain trail to sit by a waterfall. Boulders barricaded the water’s natural flow, yet the river found a way. Against all odds it created channels, liberating its flow. I felt the rivulets speak to me in their own language: ‘I will make a way,’ they silently whispered. Nature co-regulated my nervous system. 

After Grace’s final day in court, our office boiled and stewed over the lack of justice she received. However, she made the decision to let the case rest, to stop the exhausting, health-destroying battle. Later, we sat in our Compassion Room and she told me: “I decided not to choose revenge. I chose myself. I chose peace. I have freedom now.” And, I could see that within her, this was her truth, and it is setting her soul free day by day.

You can find peace. You can find freedom… even in the midst of injustice and suffering. The entire Universe is offering its hand for you to hold whenever you need it.

“For all the great thoughts I have read; for all the deep books I have studied; none has brought me nearer to Spirit than a walk beneath shimmering leaves.” – Choctaw elder Steven Charleston

*Story shared with permission

Further Resources:

• A short video featuring Thich Nhat Hahn describing this practice
• An in-depth article on the walking meditation