Watch where you step

Mindfulness has been a bit of a buzz word in the health and healing sector for many years now.  People have attributed all sorts of spectacular effects to having a regular practice.

Often when people get introduced to the concept of mindfulness, they are thrust straight into a world of meditation and usually come to believe that this is what mindfulness is.  In actual fact, mindfulness is the practice bringing your awareness into the present moment, rather than ten steps in the past or a dozen steps in the future, and this can be done in a number of ways which don’t involve traditional meditation.

I personally love mindful movement in many of its guises, and mindful walking is one of most favourite ways to bring myself into the here and now.  It’s a fabulous way to sharpen my attention on what is currently going on, and get some much-needed movement and nature immersion at the same time.

So, in honour of mindfulness day (12^th September 2024), I thought I would share 4 different ways to enjoy mindful walking so that you can give it a try for yourself.

The basics

A basic mindful walking meditation is pretty simple. All you need to do is to pay attention to the sensations which arise within you as you walk.

Notice how it feels to move your muscles, notice the sensations in your arms, legs and the rest of your body.  Notice where you end, and the environment begins and see what is happening in that space; can you feel your clothes on your skin, the air against your body, the ground against your feet, the sounds as they enter your ears, or the smells as they enter your nose etc.

You can ask yourself the question “What tells me that I am walking?” and then check in with your senses to see what answers you find.

Or, you can focus on the between spaces, the point where the left step morphs into the right and so on.

Sensory twist

This is a fun twist on the mindful walking meditation.  It is really simple, and just involves paying closer attention to your five senses as you move through the world.

Your senses will always help to orient you in the present moment, whereas when you are in your head, you can’t always be certain which time frame you are operating in.

So tune in!

• Try out walking whilst keeping your eyes still and really pay attention to what floats in and out of your field of vision as you move.
• Focus just on the soles of your feet, aware of different sensations there as the surface changes.
• Try listening in to what sounds come into your awareness.
• Alternatively, zoom in on what smells and tastes you can detect in the air, and how they change depending on where you are.

Find gratitude

Bringing attention to what you can appreciate in your surroundings is another way to bring deliberate awareness to mindful walking, and to actually shift our perception of the world towards a more positive outlook.

Try it out, as you walk just notice what pulls your attention.  For example, just today I noticed the beautiful play of light on the surface of the water as I walked past a lake, and the gorgeous colours of an acorn as it ripens into the autumn, and the sound of a robin singing.

When you return from your walk you could even note down the things which touched you in a journal so that you can go back to them when you need a little reminder about the beauty which exists in the world.

Try and challenge yourself to find something new in each day.

Rhythm and words together are powerful

Adding words to your walking can bring some extra oomph into being here, right now.

The most basic form of this is to count your steps as you walk.  Just keep going until you realise you’ve lost track and then start again from number one.

Movement can add extra power to an affirmation as well.  Try different phrases out, such as

• I have arrived, I am home, in the here, in the now. (Thich Nhat Hanh)
• Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. No one to be.
• I am me. Just being here. In the now.

Or make up your own.  Get playful with it.

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Experiment with any and all of these when you head out walking and see how it transforms your experience.

Happy walking

Rachel x