No matter what the season, spending time in nature pairs delightfully with one of my favorite meditation practices: outdoor meditation, or walking. Focusing while still in our bodies is a challenge for many of us, from the easily aroused to the anxious to the attention-deficient, which is why mindfulness movement—whether it’s traditional dance, sports, martial arts, or something else—exists in so many cultures. In fact, the practice of mindful walking is often what people describe as their favorite practice after taking a mindfulness course, and one they are likely to continue doing. It’s the best reminder that mindfulness doesn’t have to be a sedentary, solitary, indoor activity.
Walking is a movement we do every day, and like breathing, it’s often something we do without much thought. Getting outside for a purposeful walk in nature can open our eyes, providing new perspectives that are different from those we encounter indoors or inside our digital devices. Writer Richard Louv, among others, writes about “nature deficit disorder” and how it affects our physical and emotional well-being, suggesting that even a little exposure to green spaces increases happiness and attention. The Japanese practice of “forest bathing,” with its research-based benefits for the mind and body, has been trending around the world. Regardless of trends, many of us have experienced the power of nature, be it mountains or beaches, forests or gardens, to soothe our turbulent emotions. The natural world is full of lessons to be learned and metaphors to be explored.
Getting outside for a purposeful walk in nature can open our eyes, providing new perspectives that are different from those we encounter indoors or inside our digital devices.
Incorporating mindfulness into movement has the added benefit of combining mental exercise with physical exercise. Many studies show that a simple 20 minute walk can help with less stress, anxiety, and attention, not to mention our physical health. Getting outside and taking care of our mental health is always important, especially when we have a stressful day.
With that in mind, here are six ways to get the most out of your next trip.
How to Get Started with Mindful Outdoors
1. Basic Mindful Walking Meditation
The basic meditation for mindful walking is very simple. All you need to do is visualize yourself walking as you walk, making your body sensations the anchor of your meditation. To get out of the autopilot we often go into, you may be asking yourself, “How do I know I’m walking?” and test your senses.
It can also help bring awareness to certain aspects of travel. For example, you can bring awareness to your body as you notice the sensation of your feet on the floor or the movement of your muscles, especially as you experience different areas beneath you. Notice not only what your legs are doing, but also your arms, torsos, spine, and head as you walk. You may notice subtle changes in your heart rate, body temperature, or breathing rate before, during, and after you start moving. You can also focus on the gentle movements of your weight shift.
Sometimes when we sit using our breath as our anchor and focus on the point between the breath in and the breath out, there is a moment of silence. Likewise, in the practice of mindful walking, we can notice the stillness points where a right step becomes a left step and a left step becomes a right step.
2. Adding Words or Phrases
Another easy way to focus your attention is to bring words or phrases to your steps. For one, you can count in rhythm with your steps. Whenever your mind wanders and you lose count, just notice where your mind wandered, and then reset the count to one again. The key is to do this without judging yourself, and your mind wandering.
It may also help to have something to say and move. You can, for example, say Thank you and send gratitude or compassion to your feet and body as you walk—a practice from Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff’s Mindful Self-Compassion program. Or, you can silently or internally repeat reminder phrases to yourself.
You may enjoy repeating the following phrases, suggested by mindfulness teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, with each step:
I’m here, I’m home, here, now.
I also heard some great phrases from a friend, saying at each step:
There is nowhere to go. There is nothing to do. No one will be.
Try any or all of these on your next trip, or come up with your own catchphrases the next time you’re out and about.
3. Walking with the senses
This adaptation to mindful walking meditation is simple, and involves really being aware of our five senses as we move through space. As we tune in with our senses, we can really enjoy the precious moments we have to be outside and move, with everything around us. Our senses keep us focused on the moment when our thoughts drift to the past or the future.
- First, walk while keeping your eyes still and watch the view change as situations and objects move in and out of your line of sight.
- Next, focus on the soles of your feet, becoming aware of the different sensations when they change position.
- Then, focus on the sounds. Those of your footsteps, and the changing sounds of the world around you as you walk.
- Finally, focus on the smell and taste in the air, and how it changes depending on where you are.
4. Body Awareness Walking
Another practice I’ve been playing with lately is walking as I focus my awareness on certain parts of the body, almost like photographing the body in motion.
- As you walk, begin by simply placing your awareness on your feet, bringing your attention to the soles of your feet.
- After twenty steps, or maybe one block or 5 minutes, bring your awareness to your ankles and calves.
- After a few minutes of your attention there, just relax on your knees.
- Then focus your awareness on the sensations and movements of your hips.
- After spending some time focusing on your hips, shift awareness to your hands and arms, falling naturally or swinging to your sides.
- You may shift to awareness of the sensations in your body, including the inside of your body through your heart and lungs, and see if that changes.
- After a moment of attention on your torso, turn your attention to your neck and shoulders.
- Finally, be aware of your head, as it moves and moves slightly up and down with each step.
Continue to scan your body as you walk, noticing how the sensations change during your journey.
5. Walking With Appreciation
Bringing attention to the beauty of our surroundings is another way to bring intentional awareness to the rational movement, and to shift our view of the world away from the “wrong bias” or pessimism innately instilled in us, towards the good and the good. Various studies have found that focusing on the beauty around us while walking often has a lasting effect on our mood long after we’ve rested, in the same way that other acts of gratitude and appreciation work.
This study is the inspiration for another mindful walking practice: simply noticing the beauty in the world around us as we walk. It could be a tree starting to bloom, a particularly beautiful light bulb, a house or a car painted in a favorite color. On your journey, make a habit of noticing one good thing—something cute, funny, or maybe an act of kindness—along the way. Note this in a journal or share it with family when you get back, or share it with others online.
You can also, if you take the same route each day, choose to focus on the changes you experience. Notice each day as the seasons slowly change, how the sights, senses and even smells and sounds change too. What new thing do you discover, day by day in your travels? What about different times of the day, or weekends versus weekdays?
6. Walking by Looking
You can also bring awareness to your emotional experience of travel. Be aware of your emotional reactions to everything (and everyone) around you, especially as people and things approach your personal space. This may bring a slight sense of self-consciousness as you pass others, or a slight thrill as you step into the sunlight, followed by a slight dread as a small hill approaches.
The opposite way to examine our emotions is to notice how our emotions affect our movement and awareness, and vice versa. How does your emotional state change the way you move, see, or react, depending on whether you are happy or sad, calm or anxious, frustrated or relaxed?
You can do this on purpose: Change gears and try to walk as if you are nervous or anxious. Then walk as if you are ashamed, or as if you are disturbed. Try to walk confidently after that, and go back to your rhythm and walking, if you still can’t find it. Reflect on all of this, noticing where your normal pace of walking takes you through a range of emotions and feelings.
You may notice that the way you travel has affected the way you see the environment around you. For example, when you were sad, you probably saw less because your eyes were sad. Or maybe you noticed that when you walk with confidence, you actually feel more confident, which you probably did if you knew about Amy Cuddy’s research and the science of “power states”.
By walking mindfully, we can take time to deepen our intimacy with our homes and neighbors. Mindfulness is about the here and now, and the state of the world provides a great opportunity to explore and appreciate the outside as social media continues. Also, getting outside gives us an opportunity to take care of our mental health and our outlook. If you need a few more ways to bring more awareness to your route, I hope to provide you with a few in the coming months.
Good going!
