try being a pilgrim

Some of these things to try are short meditations taking just a few minutes or half an hour. And some of them are more to do with lifestyle, where really the benefit will only be seen if the thing is tried over a number of months or years. Trying to be a pilgrim is somewhere in between these two. If you want to try being a pilgrim, you need to set aside a few days, or a few weeks, to see if it's for you, to see if you feel the benefit.

So what do I mean by being a pilgrim? To be a pilgrim, in my view, one needs to be walking – walking quite long distances; walking every day, perhaps with the odd day of rest. And one should be living a simple life: eating simple food; sleeping in simple accommodation. And also, the whole undertaking should have something of the air of meditation. And for that, it should not be a social affair.

Sometimes people go on mass pilgrimages – hundreds or thousands or even millions of people, all going in the same direction. But then it's bound to be a social encounter. So to really try being a pilgrim, I suggest you walk alone, and actually seek out a route where there are not going to be crowds.

Of course, there are some very famous pilgrimage routes. Well, I'm sure these are worth walking. But if you do decide on such a popular route, try to be within yourself during the walk. I'm sure you will make friends, but take time during the pilgrimage to look inside, and to be alone with yourself.

So, having set aside some time, and decided upon a route – it need not be a famous religious route, you can walk anywhere. I like to walk in places where there's plenty of nature, and no big cities – perhaps just a few villages along the way, to pick up supplies and perhaps rest in; although personally, I like to sleep outside.

I take a tiny bivouac tent, enough to keep rain off. And I take a sleeping bag and a mat. It's enough. It's a bed and a house for the night. And sleeping outside, in nature, one is absorbing all the benefit of the positive energy of nature, even in one's sleep.

So you may need a little equipment, but keep it to a minimum. And do away with all the trappings of modernity. If you can leave your telephone behind, great. If you really have to take it with you, leave it switched off most of the day. And just check once a day for text messages or to make really essential phone calls. But it's much better to treat the whole pilgrimage as a retreat. So, drop all contact with the outside world.

Go inward, go inside yourself. See what's really there. And at the same time, open yourself to nature, to the surroundings. And it's easy to do because, when walking, the environment is ever changing, ever new. So there are pleasures with every step, gifts of existence coming without cost. We just need to open our senses to the present moment, what is around us. And this is easy to do, as a pilgrim.

With food, the same as sleeping: keep it very simple. Don't drink alcohol. Cut down on the coffee. Try and eat healthy food, simple food, not too much sugar; just fresh fruit and vegetables, rice, bread. I like to eat bread dipped in olive oil. It's a meal in itself.

If the ground underfoot is suitable, you might try walking barefoot. This way you'll get extra contact with the earth. But whether or not you're wearing shoes, take time to really feel your steps. Feel the ground beneath your feet. This is a great part of the pilgrimage – one becomes much more in contact with the earth.

These simple things take us back to what is important. And they take us back to our self. And that's really the beauty of pilgrimage. It's a delightful way to return to our centre, and to regain connection with the earth and with nature. And these are things that are very central to our spiritual journey.

So the pilgrimage, the walk, becomes a sort of metaphor for our spiritual journey. Give it a try: try being a pilgrim.