WALK YOUR WAY TO BLISS

With a little focus, you can boost the mental benefits of your walk even further by incorporating moving meditations.

NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE lost, said JRR Tolkien, and he was right. A gentle stroll helps you feel calm, collected and present. And when you walk with meditative purpose – reflecting on the beauty of nature and taking time just for you – you’ll return feeling more grounded and, ultimately, happier.

Walking meditations have been used for centuries and are rooted in Buddhist, yogic and Taoist teachings. ‘Different traditions have different ways of doing the practice,’ says Live and Dare meditation teacher Giovanni Dienstmann (liveanddare.com). ‘Some walks focus on physical health, some use visualisation to harmonise body and mind, others are more free-form.’

Walking meditatively is as relevant and effective today as it ever was. In a recent report from

UK mental health charity MIND, it was revealed that 94 per cent of people found an improvement in their mood after spending time reflecting in the great outdoors.

It doesn’t even need to be a long walk for you to feel the benefits. Wherever you are across the country, no matter how much time you have, you can always find a few minutes, or maybe longer, to put one foot in front of the other and feel uplifted.