Mindful Walking Explained
For many of us, walking is something we do when a car journey is not possible or practical. We may even consider it a chore.
And yet, the very act of walking upright sets us apart from most of the animals on our planet. In a very literal sense, it is part of who we are. Moving through the world in this way is part of what it means to be human.
Indeed, walking is so ubiquitous that we often fail to notice it. But it’s there, available to all of us so long as our health allows.
During mindful walking, our journey is less about the destination and, while avoiding ‘distracted autopilot,’ more about bringing awareness to this everyday activity.
Like most mindful activities, it can be performed anywhere: a country lane, a mountain top, or a bustling street.
To the mindful, when in a state of appreciation, the experience of early morning sunlight hitting a dirty puddle on a city street is equal to the setting sun in a mountain scene.
“Happiness is looking at the same things with different eyes,” say Professor Mark Williams and Dr. Danny Penman in Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World (2011). And they are right.
Rather than the outing to the local store being an annoyance to be hurried through, feet trudging along the footpath, it becomes a restorative feast of the senses. A walk to the bus stop or taking the dog out, when combined with an appreciation of the here and now, becomes a ready-made mindfulness session.
But how do you walk mindfully?
As you walk, pay attention to the sensations of the body. How do your feet feel? How do the other muscles of your body compensate for changes in balance? Note how your arms swing as you walk.
Become more aware of your surroundings, not just practically (I must avoid the puddle or mail the letter on the way), but with an open mind, enjoying the immediacy of the sights, sounds, and smells. Open up your senses.
Mindful walking benefits from its simplicity and is most successful when you are in the moment.
No tools or equipment are required, only somewhere to walk. And it can easily fit into your daily routine.
18+ Benefits of Mindful Walking
We spend much of our lives sitting down in front of computers and TVs. Such sedentary behavior was not always the case, and it is not what we evolved to do.
Indeed, Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman (2004) suggest that humans are designed for endurance, with highly specialized features that significantly contribute to who we are today.
In the absence of physical demands, the impact on our body and mind is profound: muscle loss, increased obesity, heart disease, and poorly functioning mental health.
Exercise helps. And walking can be performed by most of us, without training, equipment, or even a base fitness.
Most of us acknowledge that walking can often ‘clear our heads’ and gives us the time we need to hear our thoughts or those of our companions.
And it is also true that when we are confronted by a problem that we can’t seem to resolve, the very act of walking in the open air seems to bring about an answer of which we were previously unaware.
Benefits of walking
Walking is hugely beneficial to the health of the general population. So much so that the World Health Organization lists it as one of their daily recommended activities.
The advice, based on substantial scientific evidence, is that the more active we are, the:
Lower the risk of:
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- Metabolic syndrome
- Colon and breast cancer
- Hip or vertebral fracture
Greater the likelihood of:
- Higher cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
- Achieving weight maintenance
- Maintaining a healthier body mass and composition
And, for our mental health, physical exercise reduces depression, reduces stress, lifts overall mood, and improves cognitive function.
So, the physical benefits of walking are far reaching. But what about the addition of mindfulness?
Combined benefits of mindful walking
When we combine the benefits of walking with mindfulness, we witness a perfect storm of improvements to psychological and physiological wellbeing (Tsang, Chan, & Cheung, 2008).
And, along with the surge in the popularity of mindfulness techniques in the general population, mindful walking has received considerably more research attention in the last 10 years.
Mood and mindfulness
A 2016 study exploring the impact of mindful walking over multiple days noted improvements in mood and mindfulness skills.
And more specifically, the practice reduced depression, anxiety, stress, and brooding (Gotink et al., 2016).
Physical stress and quality of life
When a group of individuals who self-reported as having high levels of psychological distress were given eight mindful walking sessions over four weeks, the effect was striking. Symptoms of physical stress dramatically reduced, and their quality of life significantly increased (Teut et al., 2013).
Physical and mental benefits
While you can perform mindful walking anywhere, when practiced in nature, such as with shinrin-yoku, the physical and mental benefits are far reaching.
A review of 127 research papers identified that ‘forest bathing’ provides an essential antidote to the stresses and strains of modern life (Hansen, Jones, & Tocchini, 2017).
Those taking part can expect improvements to their:
- Immune system function
- Cardiovascular system
- Respiratory system
And
- Depression and anxiety
- Mental relaxation
- Feelings of “awe”
In those studies that performed follow-ups, the benefits after mindful walking interventions ended were still present but reduced with time.
So, if you want to retain the wealth of mental and physical gains, mindful walking, whether in an idyllic countryside or more mundane urban environments, should be continued.
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