- Set aside 10 minutes for mindful walking.
2. Decide where you want to walk for a short distance of 10 minutes duration. It should be a safe location where you can focus on your mindful walking exercise.
3. Start walking slowly. Concentrate on placing one foot after another, on the ground. This is your only allowed input for now.
4. Look at the ground immediately in front of your feet. What do you see?
5. When you’re comfortable with your immediate vicinity, you can look at the ground slightly ahead of your feet.
6. What do you see? When you walk towards that piece of ground, do you see your view changing? Do the grass look drier or more lush?
7. You should be paying attention to the ground at your feet, and slightly farther away from your feet. If you get distracted, gently return to your task.
8. Continue walking in this manner for the rest of your 10 minutes.
9. When you’ve reached your time limit, stop walking.
10. Take a deep breathe.
11. Stretch your body to relax. ‘Your mindful walking is done. You can now walk back to wherever you desire, be it your home, your workplace, or somewhere else.
Mindful Walking on September 11 2019
I chose to walk along the sidewalk of my neighborhood. I paid attention to my footpath and ground. I looked at the grass growing next to the pavement. Some grass is yellow and dead. Among the dry grass, are fresh green grass.
I continued walking. I saw more patches of dried yellow grass, interspersed with dark green grass. There were clumps of wild flowers in the patches of green grass. I just think of hope. There is hope even in the dead grass.
I was aware my mindfulness to my walk was faltering. I return to concentrating on the pavement, and then the grass next to the pavement. My 10 minute walk is finished, sooner than I expected. I stop, stretch, and breathe deeply. I turn back to walk home.
Photo prompt from The Daily Spur – silhouette of man walking.
