Walk your way to a place where mind, body and nature all unite
Weary of juggling tasks on the seemingly never-ending treadmill of life? Take the first steps to a new and more joyful life with mindful walking... and awaken your inner energy and potential
In a lifetime you could walk 150,000 miles — about 10,000 steps a day adding up to about 5 miles a day, or 8 kilometres, over 80 years. You may well take walking for granted. You always had to walk to carry the day forward, whether marching to and from school, being exhorted on family walks, or escaping the office for some fresh air at lunch.
You have certainly walked in many places but have you appreciated the benefits to your mind and body which walking has given you? Can you sense how much greater those benefits would be if you walked mindfully, with intention, focus and attitude? Mindful walking is the special place where mind, body, people and the natural environment come together. It is a place of well-being, a place where you feel alive.
In a busy life we spend much of our time juggling tasks, solving problems and balancing demands. We can bob like corks on what seems like a sea of endless challenge and change, and get tossed about the choppy waves. We can feel tense, tired, drained and empty. Our minds and bodies can be complicit in all of this. The way we think and its impact on our wider nervous system play a central part in how we engage with the challenges we face in life and our unfolding experience. Is there a better way to live our lives? The evidence suggests that yes, there is.
When people pick up a book like Mindful Walking they are often looking to find their way through a difficult time. Many people want to choose their own path and be their own agents of change, learning new approaches and exploring new territory. In my work as a coaching psychologist I meet all kinds of people, from stay-home parents to senior executives, students and business owners. I sometimes refer to this wide spectrum of people as the “worried well”.
The “worried well” might be functioning well in their everyday lives, but something doesn’t feel right. They are often searching for something they cannot define. I often talk to people about three possible paths to take. Each one can transform our mood, improve our wellness and set us on a different course. Put all three together from time to time and you can walk mindfully to a better place. 1. TALK
The power of talking through our challenges and worries is not to be underestimated. Creating a structured space where we feel safe to talk is also important, and much psychological research underpins the efficacy of talking therapies.
2. MEDITATE
Ancient Eastern philosophers wrote about the dangers of the wandering, judgemental mind. It is a mind that can work in error, bias and distortion for us all. Eastern traditions offer us a strategy to train that mind. Mindfulness is no longer an esoteric practise, it is a shared way of life, and its benefits are increasingly evidence-based. This evidence is an added comfort for people who are sceptical of alternative thinking; the science of mindfulness connects us with the older wisdom of meditation. Mindfulness increasingly makes sense.
3. WALK
Movement is intrinsic to being human. We were made to move: the initial reason for a brain and a nervous system was to either promote or suppress movement, and our ability to think and reason came much later in our evolutionary story. But we are increasingly more sedentary. Gentle mindful movement gets mind and body working together like an orchestra. It enhances life experience, health and well-being. You are the conductor. Mindful walking joins these three paths together and awakens us to our full potential in life.
We know that we need to walk more, talk more, and focus more from time to time. With mindful walking, we can also set and take on challenges beyond our comfort zone.
It is a curious benefit of movement that people tend to talk very openly and personally when walking.
Walking sheds the casing of reserve that clings to us in our everyday exchanges. When people walk together in nature, on the beach or on the mountain, this opening up happens with even greater ease.
As someone remarked to me recently, you can feel drunk without having to wake up to the aching head and embarrassing memories of a hangover.
A mindful approach to life is not about deadening the mind or the senses. It is about accepting our pain and walking with it, and accepting our aliveness. We feel highs, but only ones we come down from gently, and there is no blurry aftermath to face. Mindfulness brings joy without addiction.
You might be aware that in meditation, there are four traditional postures: sitting, lying, standing and walking. Mindful walking means walking with a deliberate intention, focus and attitude.
It is noticing without attachment, as best we can, our unfolding experience in an open, curious and non-judgemental way. On a mindful walk we don’t judge ourselves or others. We stand back from our reactions, and respond gently to what comes our way.
And as we’ll see, we can integrate this into our daily lives.
Mindful walking is a gentle and compassionate way to take full responsibility for the only thing that you can take full responsibility for — yourself. Awakening to your inner authentic energy and potential is a wonderful new journey of possibility.
This is not to say that the way is smooth or easy. There will, of course, be obstacles and potholes along the road. The rain runs down the back of the neck on occasions but that can also be experienced mindfully too.
My hope is you will find your footing, and capture a way to walk mindfully to places you never imagined you would go. The simple yet powerful act of walking into your future now begins.
Why not stand up now. Then take a step. It is a positive statement of intent.