THE POWER OF MINDFUL WALKING
By now, you’ve probably heard the word “mindfulness” thrown around a lot. But what does mindfulness actually mean and how can we use it to ground ourselves?
Mindfulness is a “mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”
So basically, mindfulness is the practice of staying fully invested and connected to the moment you’re in. It’s a great way to clear your head, get rid of some stress and anxiety, and feel more calm and balanced.
One useful way to practice mindfulness is with Mindful Walking. Taking a 5-10 minute mindful walk can make a huge difference in your mindset and to your day. Feeling foggy? Anxious? Take a short mindful walk and feel how your focus sharpens and mood improves.
When you look up how to mindfully walk, most instructions are the same, but this is how we do it.
Remember, you only need to do this for 5-10 minutes to really feel its effects.
When you first start this practice, we suggest choosing a place that’s relatively peaceful, where you won’t be distrubed.
Take a deep breath in and connect to your body. As you begin to walk, notice how your body feels.
Feel your feet on the ground. Feel the contact of your foot as it touches the ground, and how the movement of your body feels as you take the next step.
Focus on how your legs, feet and arms feel with each step you take.
It’s normal for your mind to drift. If you get lost in thought, just use the next step as an opportunity to start over and connect to your body.
Now that you’ve connected to your body, focus on your eyesight and surroundings. Look around and try to notice every detail around you.
Now use your sense of smell. Are there any scents or aromas you can pick up on?
You can use your sense of touch to notice the ground beneath your feet. Are you walking on a sidewalk? Grass? How does that ground feel beneath you?
While you walk, if your mind starts to wander, just gently use your senses to come back to the present moment and your experience.
The beauty of this exercise is that you can mindfully walk anywhere. You can walk around your neighborhood, at the park, on your way to work or school, or even in the grocery store or while you’re out running errands.
And it might take some time to get used to, but using Mindful Walking a few times a week will bring you a lot of mental clarity and help you greatly reduce stress and anxiety.