CREATE POSITIVITY

If you have 5 minutes…

It might not seem like much, but just five minutes of being out in the great outdoors can have impressively positive effects on your mind. More than 1,000 people studied by the University of Essex said that their mood and self-esteem was significantly higher as a result of this short space of time spent outside.

What’s more, this is all the time it takes to fit in a short walking meditation to further elevate these good feelings. The Taoist ‘ball of energy’ meditation focuses on the flow of energy within your body known as chi. It helps draw out positive feelings within you, putting a spring in your step and lightening your mood for the rest of the day.

TRY THE BALL OF ENERGY MEDITATION:

• Start walking to the rhythm of your breathing – for example, breathe in for three footsteps, then out for three. You could breathe in for up to six or even 10 seconds – whatever you’re most comfortable with.

• As you walk, look around you and absorb the energy and promise of nature.

• Start to feel the energy being pulled into your stomach, specifically the space two inches below your navel. Focus on the happy, warm feelings that this brings.

• As you breathe out, visualise this energy expanding to a ball around your body. You can take this ball of positive energy into the rest of the day with you by closing your eyes and revisiting your walk.