Walking with Someone
The Following short piece is taken from the book Mindfulness and the Natural World. Bringing our Awareness Back to Nature
” Mindfulness practice
Enjoying your Natural Senses
So often when we walk- to work, to the shops, to the train station, or with the dog- we are caught up in our thoughts and anxieties and unaware of all that is around us . For just 10 minutes of a walk that you do regularly , bring your attention to the experience of walking and become aware of any pleasurable sensations you notice, either in your body and its step-by-step movements or in the natural world around you- sunlight and shadows, the breeze flowing past , the feelings of warmth or cold, the scents in the air, the colours of flowers and trees, the song of birds, the sounds of insects and other animals. Each time you get distracted by your thoughts, acknowledge this, and gently bring your mind back to your senses. Enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive and part of life all around you.”
Claire Thompson.
Why not try this with a fellow walker and compare your experiences. I appreciate the subject of Mindfulness and loneliness are two distinct subjects. However, I have linked them because of the audio’s progression onto the subject. Mindfulness takes us away from the inner chatter inside our heads of worries and fears. Companionship can help us express these feelings, in a supportive way, in a calm natural environment when we are out walking with another or in a group.
A link to research by the UK government, published after the Covid Pandemic in 2022, between loneliness and mental health distress can be found here.
To discover more about mindfulness and its health benefits look at this NHS link for an introduction. It explains it well here.
I have learnt to be more Mindful in my walking and will focus on this during Mental Health Awareness week. I also know how much I have appreciated my close friends who have supported me during times of deep crisis and personal distress. Their support has been priceless and they know who they are if they are reading this. Thank you to each and everyone of them.
‘Mindfulness and the Natural World’ is published by Leaping Hare Press, @Ivy press Limited 2013.
