For nearly three decades, starting from the age of eighteen, I developed a serious medical condition called ulcerative colitis. By the time, I reached my forties, I had undergone at least a dozen surgical procedures to try and resolve my health problems. During the post operative period, once I was fit enough to drive, I would head straight for Leith Hill. It was as if something was drawing me there, like a magnet, attracting a piece of metal. During my walks, I would try to untangle the many emotions & thoughts that would form into a toxic knot, from the previous day. Not only did the walk resolve some of the problems, associated with my health, but, little by little, I would regain my physical strength as well. I guess I was practicing  mindfulness without really knowing anything about it.Â
Who would have thought that many years later, I would meet my business partner and build a website devoted to this very subject. Despite, his attempts to teach me how to sit still & meditate, I, personally, find that I am more adept at dealing with my thoughts, whilst out walking amongst the beauty of our natural environment.Â
And this is the amazing thing about meditation. It can be done, literally anywhere. It can be self taught and it can even be carried out, without any realization that one is actually doing it. For, me, as I walk through the dappled sun light, cast by an ancient oak or beech, I get lost in a world, where hope can still be found.
