Walking Zen Train Your Mind in Nature

Discover the joy of mindful walking and hiking, cultivate deep connection with the world around you, and ultimately embrace the path of happiness as a way of life

A mobile monastery to stick in your pack whenever you go out on the trail, this book by veteran hikers and Buddhist monks Phap Luu and Phap Xa offers mindfulness practices to explore as you walk to generate inner and outer peace. 

Grounded in the rich traditions of Zen practice, this book invites you to experience the fundamental connection between humans and the natural world. 

Walking Zen offers:

• concrete mindfulness practices to explore outside for peace, joy, and belonging

• actionable steps to weave mindful walking into the fabric of daily life 
• nuggets of wisdom gleaned from leading multi-week mindful hiking retreats

• personal narratives of the monastic path 
• insight into how connection with nature supports resiliency and collective and personal health and well-being

Phap Xa (Brother Equanimity) is a Dutch monk ordained in Plum Village by Thich Nhat Hanh in February 2003. He lives and teaches in the European Institute of Applied Buddhism (EIAB) in Germany and is happy to hike in the many surrounding forests. A couple of times a year, he shares the most beautiful hiking trails with many people attending hiking retreats, and he leads mindful hiking retreats across the US and abroad.

Ordained in 2003 by Thich Nhat Hanh, Phap Luu (Brother Stream) helped start Wake Up, the Plum Village movement for young people, as well as the Happy Farm, Plum Village’s organic farming community, and has been working with Wake Up Schools since its inception in 2012 to bring mindfulness to schools. He initiated "The Buddha the Scientist" retreat and symposium series and leads mindful backpacking retreats in nature around Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California, US; Joshua Tree National Park; the Sierra Nevada; and on the Appalachian Trail.