Feel the earth beneath your feet. Hear the sounds around you. Smell the air as you breathe...  I struggled to keep this advice in mind during a recent walking meditation organized to celebrate the Mayan new year in Mexico.

Meditation is hard enough sitting down, but walking made it near impossible to stay present. Distracted and anxious, my thoughts kept drifting back to work. 

However, I began noticing the sculptures and signposts bordering the walk. They were tributes to Leonora Carrington, the famous and recently deceased Mexican Surrealist. Her works were haunting, compelling, fantastical. I was entranced by their beauty, and found myself drawn into her world of nightmare creatures, ancient rituals, and secret police. Work became a distant memory.