We all know how to walk, right? One foot in front of the other, autopilot. What about mindful walking? Sometimes described as a 'walking meditation’ where you focus on your body’s feelings and the surroundings.
Combining walking with mindfulness practice can provide physical and mental health benefits: stress reduction, mood enhancement, improved sleep quality and life satisfaction.
So how does one practice mindful walking? Firstly, let’s not overcomplicate things. Get out to a quiet spot, indoors or outside. You do not need a lot of space.
Try it for a few minutes at first, ideally without shoes, and over time you can increase the duration.
Start by finding a quiet spot, standing still and collecting your senses. Take a moment or two to centre yourself before commencing to walk.
Walk. Walk slowly, feel the sensation of your feet moving over the ground. As you walk scan through your body. What are the internal sensations that you feel?
Breathe. Be aware of your breathing. Breathe naturally and calmly. Not too deep, not too shallow. Fill your lungs and exhale. What is the sensation of your breath moving?
Feel. As you walk what else do you experience. The sun on your skin? What are the sounds around you. What about the wind, in the trees or moving on your skin? How does the area smell? Are there urban or natural fragrances in the air?
Finish. Come to a standstill. Take a couple of breaths. Reflect on what you experienced. What was enjoyable, what was difficult, what new sensations occurred, what will you do next time?
A variation on this exercise is to stand still with both feet on the ground. Slowly change your weight, your balance and explore the sensations, from toes, to forefoot to side to rear. Where are you stronger, weaker, is there any pain? The Chinese practices of Qigong and Tai Chi utilise this technique.
Final Thoughts
In principle mindful walking sounds very simple and in some respects it is. In practice - to find and live in the moment - isn’t always quite so easy. Some people enjoy using mindfulness apps while they walk but I prefer the experience using all my senses focused on myself and the environment.
Want to take meet like minded people? Look for a local mindful walking or forest bathing (in Japanese known as "shinrin-yoku") group. Or, if you are in Singapore, contact me and we can go together.
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Alastair
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Related Studies
Chang CC, Lin BB, Feng X, Andersson E, Gardner J, Astell-Burt T. A lower connection to nature is related to lower mental health benefits from nature contact. Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 20;14(1):6705. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56968-5. PMID: 38509180; PMCID: PMC10954714.
Boere, K., Lloyd, K., Binsted, G. et al. Exercising is good for the brain but exercising outside is potentially better. Sci Rep 13, 1140 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26093-2
Ma J, Williams JM, Morris PG, Chan SWY. Effectiveness of a mindful nature walking intervention on sleep quality and mood in university students during Covid-19: A randomised control study. Explore (NY). 2023 May-Jun;19(3):405-416. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.004. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35973933; PMCID: PMC9365743.
Shi L, Welsh RS, Lopes S, Rennert L, Chen L, Jones K, Zhang L, Crenshaw B, Wilson M, Zinzow H. A pilot study of mindful walking training on physical activity and health outcomes among adults with inadequate activity. Complement Ther Med. 2019 Jun;44:116-122. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 Mar 15. PMID: 31126543.
Teut M, Roesner EJ, Ortiz M, Reese F, Binting S, Roll S, Fischer HF, Michalsen A, Willich SN, Brinkhaus B. Mindful walking in psychologically distressed individuals: a randomized controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:489856. doi: 10.1155/2013/489856. Epub 2013 Jul 31. PMID: 23983786; PMCID: PMC3747483.