Being active has a variety of benefits when it comes to our mental well-being. It improves self-perception, mood and sleep quality, and it reduces stress, anxiety, and fatigue. It decreases one's chance of experiencing depression by 30%, and helps those who experience depression recover. For older people, walking just 30 minutes a day improves cognitive function, memory, and reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dimentia. It's the best of the both worlds! Both your physical and emotional well-being are positively enhanced. In addition, going on walks allows you to explore your neighborhood, find new cafes, and see different faces.
A Guided Walk Meditation: follow each cue for about 30 - 60 seconds
1. Body Check: As you start to walk, notice how the body feels. Heavy or light, stiff or relaxed? Take a few seconds to become aware of your posture and the way you’re carrying yourself.
2. Observe: Without trying to change the way you’re walking, simply observe your manner of walking. Bring your attention to it. This can sometimes make you feel self-conscious, but that feeling usually passes.
3. Tune in: Tune into what’s going on around you — passing cars, other people, window displays, trees, the movement and still of things, or any other sights that come into your awareness field. You’re not thinking about any of these things, though; you’re simply acknowledging what you see.
4. Take note of sound: Notice the sounds that drift in. What can you hear? Again, try to realize any noise but not dwell on it.
5. Note familiar smells: Now turn your attention to any smells, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Notice how the mind habitually wants to create a story out of each smell and how it might remind you of somewhere, something, or someone.
6. Physical sensations: Next, make a point of noticing any physical sensations, from how the weather makes you feel to how it feels as the sole of your feet touch the ground. There’s still no need to think about any of these observations. Simply notice, acknowledge, and let go.
7. Movement: After a minute or two, contemplate the sensation of movement in the body: how the arms hang or swing by your side or how the weight steadily shifts from right to left. Observe your stride, your pace, and the rhythm you’ve become accustomed to.
8. Focus on your rhythm: Use that rhythm — the soles of the feet touching the ground — as your base of awareness, a place you can mentally come back to when the mind wanders off. Repeat this throughout your walk, step by step, block by block, or mile by mile. These steps are guidelines, not rules, so adapt them to fit your walk, wherever you go or however long it takes. For example, on a walk that takes 10 minutes, you might use a street-by-street basis. At the beginning of each block, remind yourself of your intention to walk, free from distraction, until you reach the next cross-street or junction. As soon as you realize the mind has wandered, gently bring your attention back to the sensation of the soles of your feet.