Walking in Silence: Yoga, Nature, and the Samkhya Philosophy

Opening Reflection The early morning is in half-light. The shades of orange and pink of the sunrise welcoming us as we reach the Chandrashila summit, feeling cold but energized by the efforts we just made to be here in time.

Slowly, the sun appears and moves on the highest peaks, progresses towards us. We’re silent, in contemplation over this sun, which rises here every day.

As we witness the simplicity of this movement, the world feels soft, breathing, alive. In that moment, we are not only “in nature”. Nature is speaking, and we listen.

This openness is the soul of yoga. And when you walk in nature with an inner gaze, something shifts: the boundary between "seer" and "seen" softens.

How can an ancient philosophy help us understand this experience? That is where Samkhya philosophy takes us, into the architecture of being, and helps us see why walking in nature feels like coming home.

Purusha & Prakriti: The Twin Realities Samkhya begins with two truths:

• Purusha — your deepest self, the witness. Unchanging, silent.

• Prakriti — the world of forms, senses, mind, energy, change.

What we experience — bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions, landscapes — all arise from Prakriti. But none of that is Purusha. Purusha is not touched by storms, not moved by thoughts, not swayed by senses. It simply watches.

When Purusha is identified with Prakriti (when you think “I am this thought, I am that feeling”), we suffer. When Purusha awakens to its own nature — that it is distinct from the flow — we find freedom.

We find freedom when we understand that we are not our thoughts, feelings, and preferences. The real us, Purusha, is just sitting and observing. Like watching a movie, unable to act on it, just witnessing. 

The Trek as Inner Pilgrimage

On a trek, your senses become vivid. You smell the earth, you hear the wind, you feel stones under your feet. You may feel your heart melt at a view or contract when coming down a steep slope.

Each sensation is a message from Prakriti. But in yoga and Samkhya philosophy, you learn to see these as objects, not masters. You watch them. And by watching, something else becomes clearer. That thing is Purusha.

The climb, the changing light, the silence. They mirror your inner terrain. The path ahead is also the path within.

Practice: A Mini Trek Meditation

1. Pause at a viewpoint. Stand quietly for a minute. Let all sounds, smells, textures register.

2. Witness inner voices. Notice any thoughts: “I’m tired,” “This is beautiful,” “Why did I come?” Just see them.

3. Return to senses. Smell the air. Touch a rock. Listen to wind. Watch a leaf move.

4. Rest in the gap. Between sensations, between thoughts, notice the silence.

5. Offer gratitude. To Prakriti, for her forms. To Purusha, for witnessing.

Bridging Outer and Inner 

Trekking in nature and yoga practice converge beautifully when seen through the Samkhya philosophy lens. Nature is Prakriti in her fullness. Yoga is the art of disentangling consciousness (Purusha) from that fullness so that your true self can rest.

As we walk, we practice seeing. Not just with the eyes, but with the heart. We learn that the forest and the mountain are not landscapes outside us, but our own being in living form. And in the stillness between breaths, between steps, we touch the silent watcher. This is our true home.

Want to learn more about Samkhya philosophy?

• The principal reference for Samkhya here is Samkhya Darshan: Yogic Perspective on Theories of Realism by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati (Yoga Publications Trust, 2008, ISBN 978-8186336595).

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• The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself (Michael A. Singer, 2007) is used as a complementary modern, nonsectarian voice. amazon.com+2regpaq+2