The question that is music to my dog's ears, that my kids simultaneously groan about and get excited about, and something I've asked probably everyone I've ever met. I'm a walker. I walk all over the place and love to wander around on a good walk. I liked to walk around the block as a kid, around the woods as a teen, around campus in college, around the city as a young adult, and now I think I spend more time walking up and the down the stairs doing laundry than anything else, but I still love a purposeful walk.
Walking can be beneficial in all the ways you probably already know, but did you know it can also be a form of mindful meditation? And you're probably already doing it to some degree. Here's a quick example of it... Have you ever been walking around and your sock slipped down inside your shoe but you couldn't stop whatever you were doing to fix it? And so as you continue to walk around, all you really notice is your sock. It's driving you bananas. You want nothing more than to stop, take your shoe off, and fix that silly sock. But you can't because...insert whatever reason here...and so you suffer through it. You know it's terrible, it feels just awful, you think maybe you need to go through your sock drawer and toss all the quitters, but then you're back to thinking about the sock and how it feels again. This is mindfulness in a way. Mindfulness is simply paying attention and recognizing what is going on in the moment, and if our minds drift away, bringing them back to the moment. Now in this moment, you're having some help because that sock issue just won't stop nagging at you, plus you probably aren't thinking about your sock in completely nonjudgmental ways, but it's a start.
So how can we implement walking mindfulness into our days, minus the sock? It's easy, and it doesn't need to be a big production. The next time you walk out to get the mail, or when you're walking around the grocery store, or walking from your car into your house, make a plan to walk with a mindful purpose. Stand still for a quick second and take in what your body feels like as it is standing. Can you feel your clothes on your skin, your shoes under your feet? What do you hear around you? Is it quiet or are you hearing lots of sounds? What about what you see? Is it bright or dim or dark where you are? Now take a step. Notice how your shoes and clothes shift on you as you move. Or maybe you are barefoot and are noticing the change in texture under your feet. As you walk continue to pay attention to all of your 5 senses and without judging what you are noticing, continue to notice it. Maybe you do in fact go for an actual walk. Who is with you? Can you hear the footsteps? Is your dog pulling on your arm or your child hopping along beside you? Notice that. Take it in. Give your brain permission to pay attention to all the details surrounding you rather than thinking and thinking and thinking...and just walk.
Mindfully,
Meredith xo