Hey guys! Hope you’re alright! For this post, I’ve decided to talk about mindful walking!
You might be wondering what is mindful walking exactly? Fasten your seatbelts! I’ll be talking about it now!
Mindful walking is simply taking a walk while being aware of the walking process.It is basically taking a walk whether at home or in a local park, but doing the walking by being aware of the “ walking” process. This activity is done in the first weeks of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course, which I had the opportunity to experience myself back in April. It’s effective, in the sense that it makes you grounded with the solid Earth we all stand on. It makes you aware of your surroundings, the ground you walk on. It’s very beneficial for people suffering from general anxiety disorder too! When you shift your focus from yourself and towards the activity you are doing, you’ll feel calmer. As an anxiety sufferer, I love taking a walk for my mental health. When I do this mindfully, and being aware of the steps I’m taking I feel much calmer compared to taking a normal walk around the neighborhood!
How can we practice mindful walking, then?
The first step is to walk gently like you don’t want to hurt the ground. Be aware of your steps. How do your feet feel? Do you feel your socks or your sneakers while walking? Do your feet want to rush or do you want to walk slowly? Be aware of all the sensations. The main thing is to “ remember” to shift your attention from your thoughts to the walking process itself. You don’t have to do it perfectly, never pressure anything. Whenever you feel like you are lost in your thoughts gently bring your awareness back to your feet. It’s that simple.
“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
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