Come Home to Yourself - Mindful Walking Exercise

A summer of mindfulness

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health, for you to flourish in a life you love! Upgrade here for tools, journaling prompts, workbooks, meditations and if you’d like to support my work. Thanks for being here!

Hi friends,

I used to attend regular silent meditation retreats, a tonic for my worn soul. Overwhelmed by seismic life changes back then: the pain of loosing my two sweet stillborn daughters, our marriage ending, and moving home and country, I tumbled to rock bottom.

I needed grounding, holding, to find sense and direction, though I didn’t know where to start. I mean, where do you start? I started inside.

Welcomed by a warm peace of Gaia House in Devon, and other kindred folk following their own twinkles of possibility, we embarked on the challenge of silence, of nothing, of our truth. Most of us had busy lives to adjust from, as those with experience glided between us.

It is hard on the body to sit all day, so we alternated sitting with walking meditation for 45 minutes each. The silence was warm and holding, and there were talks and meetings to process our experiences.

When it was fine, we practiced walking meditation in the tranquil gardens, caressed by the breeze and the sound of trees overhead; cool grass underfoot.

Tame wild rabbits adopted the beautiful gardens as their home, and bounced around our feet nibbling grass while we walked.

A woman I met there and gave a lift home to, shared an experience. She said when walking in mindfulness outside in bare feet, she moved her limbs, paying attention to every sensation, every movement and feeling, and felt a tickle on her leg. Looking down, a line of ants were making their way up her ankle and leg from a nest she had stood next to. After a few days of silent meditation she smiled, and mindfully placed her foot down on the ground. She waited for each ant to walk down her leg, observing them as they found their way back into the grass. It took time. She was in no hurry.

“Be where you are; otherwise, you will miss your life.” - Buddha

Walking Meditation

This is a mindfulness practice, mind training to help us live in the present, to catch spiralling thoughts and feelings; to prevent them. To strengthen our self. It is a particularly good practice if you have a busy, distractible mind and find mindfulness challenging.

Set a timer or observe a clock for the amount of time you want to practice. We practiced 45 minutes, but start with 10-20 minutes if you’re new to it. Find a spot inside or out around 3-6 metres ish (no exactness necessary, but a container, yes).

Walk slowly, noticing how your movement changes from one moment to the next. Pay attention to the sensations and feelings. Study your walking body. Study your mind. When you reach the end of your chosen stretch, turn around, face where you came from again, and walk back. Repeat.

Nature as Therapist

The Earth as Therapist (Grounding Exercise)

Of course you can also enjoy mindfulness while on a walk - see above, by taking in all the sights, sounds, scents and sensations. And try the grounding exercise if you haven’t already.

My silent time of doing nothing helped me move forward. It helped me to ground, to steady myself, and strengthened me to be able to face my challenges.

Paid subscribers can listen to short therapeutic guided meditations here:

https://lettersfromtherapy.substack.com/podcast

Let me know your thoughts, and how you get on with walking meditation? Have you tried it? Would you consider a silent retreat?

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With love and gratitude,

Kate