Hi there,
I'm hoping that if you're reading this, you'll have booked or are considering booking a Mindful evening walk with me. Mindful walking is a simple yet effective practice that involves walking with present-moment awareness, focus, and intention. It is an excellent way to move from stressed to refreshed and improve overall well-being. If you're needing a nudge in this direction, here are some of the benefits of mindful walking:
Reduces stress and anxiety: Mindful walking can help you reduce stress and anxiety by promoting relaxation and calming the mind. It can also help you gain perspective and reduce the negative impact of stress on your mental and physical health.
Boosts mood: Mindful walking can improve your mood by increasing the production of endorphins, which are natural feel-good chemicals in the brain. It can also reduce symptoms of depression and improve overall well-being.
Improves focus and concentration: Mindful walking requires you to focus your attention on your body, breath, and surroundings, which can improve your ability to concentrate and be more productive.
Enhances creativity: Mindful walking can stimulate creativity by allowing your mind to wander and make new connections. It can also help you gain fresh perspectives and insights on various issues.
Improves physical health: Mindful walking can improve physical health by increasing cardiovascular fitness, strengthening muscles and bones, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
In conclusion, mindful walking is a simple yet powerful practice that can improve your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Whether you're walking in nature or on a busy city street, take the time to focus on your breath, body, and surroundings and remind yourself you're part of something bigger. This helps ground us, give us a feeling of reconnecting with what really matters in life and puts a sense of distance between the busy demands of the day and ourselves.
Getting out in an evening reminds me of being a kid and being allowed to stay out instead of having to come in to go to bed. I just wanted to be outside. I invite you to think about one of your earliest memories of enjoying being outside in nature. What was it and how did you feel?
It's so easy to forget these moments, but part of mindful walking for me is about reconnecting with a time we felt awed or deeply moved or simply content by being in a nature filled space that seemed to hold us like an ever present safety net. We need to be reminded that we can return anytime.
Nature doesn't judge, it doesn't mind how long we've been away, its just always here to receive us when we're able to come home again. All of us need that kind of holding in our lives. Much of our difficulties stem from the fact we are more cut off from nature than we are meant to be as human beings. We've had to adapt to being in another type of existence which is often far removed from the smells, textures, colours and sounds of nature.
Much of the content of my walking is an attempt at rediscovering a curiosity in a relationship with the outdoors that we have lost through the boring 'grown up-ness' of our adult lives and deep down we want to rekindle it because it refreshes us, sustains and delights us.
I hope you can join me this season.
Warmly,
Fiona