Ekocaravan 2012 in Slovenia, 

The 'art of walking' in the 11th slovenian padayatra

Walking slowly in the nature is considered like an ecological trendy sport, but it is not. It is also well known as 'deep walking' or 'nordic walking and in somehow it is has become a culture or a philosophical way to to think how to avoid stress far from the modern society and its troubles. To walk by foot is in real connection with life and people, it has become again popoular to go the 'Camino de Santiago de Compostela' in Spain and so it becomes easy to  remember that the real root of travelling belongs to the pilgrimage. Travelling for human beings means visiting holy places with religious purposes and the real aim is to find God.

What is Padayatra? Recently Prahladananda swami said that 'The practice of padayatra is the most effective method to become Krsna consciousness, it is a journey foot, a combination of harinama and book distribution'. Padayatra is an ancient and inspiring practice for everybody who wants to awake the dormant consciousness. Srila Prabhupada used to say that it is also very blissful and it is Lord Caitanya's engagement: 'Lord  Caitanya personally travelled all over India for six years. His program was simply kirtana and prasadam distribution (...)  So continue this program, it is very pleasing to Him (TD I - Bombay, 17Dec75).

In the eleventh Padayatra of Slovenia have been distributed more then 1600 books, 20.000 biscuits and 3.000 brochures speaking on the pure values of the Ekocaravan. This year the journey counted about 1400 km through the amazing villages of ...    in the regions of ........  from the 28th June to the 15th July. Slovenian Padayatra can be understood like a way to come back at home, this is why the word 'eko', that reminds us the concept of 'ekology', in the greek language means 'home' (from the greek 'oikos'). Creating walking as a relationship between ourself, the society and the world, we definitevely are the history of our steps.

There is a lot on the idea of walking, there is our education, our experience, furthermore we are in a deep relation with the landscapea and our inner self. While we are walking it is easier to discover ourself towards the essence of our existence, because we become aware ot the present in a certain place, with certain persons, in a certain time,  with a certain weather. There is not competition, we walk for fun, for curiosity or for religious goals, like in a meditation against materialism and agoism. Step by step we learn our limits and how to be supported by other. It is a kind of re-union with the Absolute and it has also an active function between walking and thinking in the methaphorical human existence. So, where are we going? Always at home: back to Godhead.