4 Ways to Walk (Mindfully) into Mental Health

By Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
March 16, 2009

During the day many of us are moving so fast, sometimes physically, but almost always mentally. Our neurons are firing in hyper speed with so much to do and so much to pay attention to. I’ll often catch myself walking so fast to my car, head tilted forward, and eyes darting to the handle of the door where my next action will be. Sometimes, when I remember my practice, I notice that I’m “rushing home to relax.” In that moment I become present and realize that I don’t have to rush home to relax, I have arrived in the present moment and can choose to “be” different. Here is a way we can apply this to something many of us do every day…walking.

Appreciation - If you are fortunate enough to have the ability to walk, try and remember, it took you over a year to learn how to walk and these legs are often the unsung heroes that take you to and fro day in and day out. Thank your legs for all their efforts.
Grounding - Bring your attention to the sensations of your feet and legs as the heel touches the ground, then the base of the foot, then the toes, and then they lift. You can actually say to yourself, “heel, foot, toes, lift.” This is a way to connect to the action of walking in the present moment.
Open Awareness - Walk slightly slower and begin to open your awareness to all your senses one by one. Sight, sound, taste, feeling, smell. See what is around you, listen to the sounds, taste the air or whatever is in your mouth, feel the warmth, coolness, or breeze on your cheeks, smell the air. Then stop for a moment and see if you can take in all of the senses.
Mantra - As I mentioned in an earlier blog, you can also recite some sayings while taking a few steps. For example, take a few steps and during an in breath say to yourself, “breathing in, I have arrived, breathing out, I am home” or “breathing in, I calm my body, breathing out, I relax”. Or make up your own sayings.

You can do this while walking to work, running errands, or walking from the car to the door on the way home. Keep in mind this is a practice. So whenever you remember that you are rushing home to relax, or really rushing anywhere, you are now present and can engage in any of these ways of mindful walking. As always, don’t ever take my word for it, try it for yourself!

As always, please share your thought, insights and questions below. Your interactions here provide a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist and conducts a private practice in West Los Angeles. He is co-author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook (New Harbinger, February 2010) Check out Dr. Goldstein's acclaimed CD's on Mindful Solutions for Stress, Anxiety and Depression, Addiction and Relapse Prevention, and Success and Stress Reduction at Work -- "They are so relevant, I have marked them as one of my favorites on a handout I give to all new clients" ~ Psychiatrist. He also current has a FREE Mindful Companion EBook: Top Mindfulness Quotes and How They Can Support Your Mental Health. If you're wanting an interactive program to find relief from anxiety and stress, check out Dr. Goldstein's progressive online behavioral change program in Aliveworld. If you're wanting to integrate more mindfulness into your daily life, sign up for his Mindful Living Twitter Feed. Dr. Goldstein is also available for private psychotherapy.

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Links to This Article

From Psych Central's Dr. Elisha Goldstein:
You Want Mental Health? Get into the Body | Mindfulness and Psychotherapy (June 22, 2009)

3 Comments to
“4 Ways to Walk (Mindfully) into Mental Health”

flowerchild at 12:24 am on April 18th, 2009

how can i change the negative perceptions other vengeful people create about me due to jealosy or to hide their incompetence and insecurities as this does create some problems for me sometimes.

Mariposa at 9:49 am on April 20th, 2009

Flower Child, the first sentence of of your post has your answer! You link yourself to other vengeful, jealous people. What we don’t like in others is really what we don’t like about ourselves. You cannot change anything outside of your body, but you can change yourself and how you deal with difficult situations. Work on yourself, build strength in mind, body, & soul, and you will find that when dealing with difficult people, you no longer feel negative, but maybe sadness for them!

Dr Rita Khar at 4:24 am on September 16th, 2009

4 ways of mindful walking is very effective in staying in the present moment. Mantra chanting while walking helps a great deal in preventing negative thoughts from creeping into the mind.