I learned this practice in 2016 at Naropa University in Boulder, CO, a pioneering institution in Contemplative Education. I learned it from Erika Berland, a certified Somatic Practitioner and senior meditation teacher in the Shambhala lineage. I did a version of the practice where you walk aimlessly for thirty minutes and allow yourself to be guided by the environment. I began wandering around the parking lot of the university campus, just off a long highway that extends into the Flatiron mountains. I looked at details on cars, the sky, and sun-dried weeds. Eventually, I found myself staring at a bright green Praying Mantis. I had never seen one before but recognized it from nature shows. I watched it rubbing its little “hands” together for a while. The sharp details of this experience stayed with me.

As an artist, I know the value of having experiences of deep observation to draw from in my creative work. This practice opens space for our mind and body to wander without an agenda, allowing us to discover what we might not notice if we were aiming to achieve something specific. In teaching this practice over time, I find that students are more available to stay present, receive information and be attuned to their sensory experience. These skills are very important for artists and can also support the learning process of students in other disciplines.

In discussing this practice with my teacher, she spoke to its origins in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. She and other teachers in the lineage like Gaylon Ferguson will emphasize different aspects of the practice, depending on their approach. For example, Ferguson describes the process as a “welcoming” of what’s already there in terms of our awareness, while Berland invites an awareness of our somatic experience as it arises through our senses.

I have integrated aimless wandering into my teaching of the Six Viewpoints approach to performance as developed by postmodern artist and theorist, Mary Overlie. Overlie taught a practice called “grazing” that draws on mindfulness awareness in observing the space around you by simply allowing information to enter through the senses. Like a cow, you graze or “chew” on what you observe around you, letting details become more and more visible.

Becoming aware of sensory information can bring up discomfort for some students. For example, someone with chronic pain might be concerned about bringing more attention to their pain. It can be useful to offer the invitation of “welcoming” whatever arises, without needing to go further with it. Aimless wandering is ultimately a personal exploration and students can be reminded that they don’t need to engage in a way that doesn’t work for them. In the words of Miriam Cummings, an artist and performance educator “you choose what you use.”

I have taught this practice in performance studios, lecture rooms and parks. It can be done almost anywhere as the invitation is to wander aimlessly from exactly where you are and simply notice what arises. This practice is also flexible in terms of time, but I would recommend between 10 and 20 minutes as a starting point. I would also recommend giving time afterwards for students to either draw, write about or discuss what they noticed.