Mindful walks

Before I jump into this topic, I wanted to apologize if for a while my posts aren’t daily. I’m feeling a bit uninspired — a bit caved into myself.

With that said, I’ve been taking solace in walks lately, around the beautiful campus where I work. They’re my daily break not only from work, but from the world in general. So, I wanted to offer up some tips for mindful walking:

1. Put the phone away. Really. Don’t use your break walks to do business, scroll social media or talk on the phone. Enjoy the moment.
2. Use your senses. What do you hear? What do you smell? How do your feet feel when you are walking?
3. Notice the small things. Look at the ground. What do you see? Some clover, perhaps. A beautiful bright yellow dandelion. A pigeon looking for food on the sidewalk? Notice that. Take it all in.
4. Touch a building or a blade of grass. I do this a lot. Maybe I’ll feel the smoothness of a brick building. Or I’ll let my fingers touch a chain link fence. Doing this really helps me feel grounded.
5. Take deep breaths. Don’t underestimate the power of your breath. Take a few deep breaths on your walk. I like to do breath counting: inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds.
6. Stop and look. I know we’re all rushed most of the time, but this can really make a difference. Stop and really take things in. The colors. The sounds.

Friends, you got this. Whatever you may be going through — the universe has got you. Take that deep breath and stay in the moment as much as possible.