Mindful Strolls With Big Results

If you live in a city you might have felt especially overwhelmed and confined to your inside spaces during this year's coronavirus pandemic. This is entirely normal given all the unusual stressors this year that has restricted our lives to a more sedentary lifestyle. The uncertainty this year has brought has been extremely stressful and out of place for many of us. It is important to find your calm, your unique ways to de-stress. For some that may be music, others may find mediation useful, some dancing, some reading, while others may find enjoyment from movies or video games.

"Music keeps me motivated to realize what is going through my mind during that specific week or in my life," says Villacob, "sometimes walking is a source of therapy for myself to be able to zen my emotions and my mindset."

"I use classical music and pop music to awaken me creatively. When I feel blue I prefer soft music or music that has a strong meaning related to the problems I am going through. It is normal to have problems in your own life because it is normal to get caught in the middle of something, but at the end of the day after the storm there is peace," says Villacob. Villacob is constantly perfecting his dance and choreography routines for music videos and various performances. This never-ending process of continuous self-improvement is something many young adults find themselves striving towards. It is important to find ways to relax and tune out the world at the end of a long week. Here are five easy walking meditation tips, followed by a guided mediation to help encourage you to find your calm.

1. Explore New Places and Streets Near Your Neighborhood

Small improvements in your daily routine can bring refreshing results to your mental and physical health. Something so simple like changing a walking route around your neighborhood, taking the stairs, or trying a new restaurant can help you get out of your comfort zone. The more you push yourself to get out of your comfort zone the more changes build to increase the growth of new brain cells and fuel feel-good energy to keep your body healthy. Neurogenesis is this process of forming new brain cells that can overtime reduce stress levels and increase your productivity. It will not happen over night, but something so simple as taking a new walking route to explore a new place in your city can incourage neurogenesis.

2. Focus On Your Breathing

Deep breathing is one of the many techniques for your body to ease tension and ease your mind. Breathing increases your mental clarity and can also help efficiently improve your body's functions by helping to maximize the oxygen in your bloodstream. It calms your nerves and relaxes your mind so you can prepare to surround yourself with positivity.

3. Let Negative Thoughts Exit Your Mind

Negative thoughts act as obstacles in our lives that distract us and keep us away from our goals and dreams. Stress can affect you on a daily basis when not suppressed, however, we tend to absorb that negativity while not noticing it and then later ignoring it. This mistake can compound and accumulate inside our bodies when not dealt with promptly until our minds start to breakdown. These emotional insecurities when not addressed will lead to catastrophic mental damage. This is why it is important to get to know your mind so you can control it and not let it control you.

4. Don't Stress About Thinking Where Am I Going To Go Or When Am I Going To Get There

Learning to slow down is important. Normally in our lives, we tend to think: When am I going to reach my goal and when am I going to get there to succeed, and how can I do that as quickly as possible? While it is important to have goals and a clear direction of where you are heading and even to hold yourself accountable, don't worry too much about rushing the process. Instead, think about ways and tactics to reach your goals.

When it comes to walking, we have this same behavior because we frequently think it will take too long to get to our destination so we rather drive because it is our easiest and most convenient way to get there faster but it's not helpful for our body and our mind in the long term. Always ask yourself if there is a way you can get to where you are going by being more active, such as walking or biking.

5. Stretch Before Or After Walks

The importance of stretching and releasing tension in your muscles before and after walking or working out will reduce lactic acid levels that buildup in your body, espeically your muscles throughout the day. The more flexible you can become the more that will help translate to your mental health and make your mind stronger and more flexible.

Try Joseph's Walking Mediation

Hi, I'm Joseph and I will guide you through a wonderful walking exercise for you to clear your mind and feel the relief. Take a moment and inhale as you start to stretch your arms and feel any tension of your biceps and triceps. While you exhale, slowly lower your arms to the sides, until you reach your legs to feel that release. Bend over slowly and try to reach your toes and you feel any tension in your legs. And now, I will leave you with some mindful and peaceful music, and throughout this walk, I will keep guiding you and checking in on you while you release any negative energy inside your body. I would like you to think to yourself, what are your dreams? What are your fears? And tell yourself you are not afraid of who you are. Forget for a moment your problems, forget your insecurities, and connect to the sky as you walk mindfully, focussing your thoughts on your steps. You will reach the stars if you put your mind to it. I even sometimes ask myself why I end up with knots in my life, but we always see the imperfections, while failing to see our strengths; because those are lessons in life. If you fall, get up again, and if you fall again you get up again over and over while never giving up, because you are a fighter, not a quitter. Take a few deep breaths as you walk and focus on being as present and as focused on your posture as possible. Enjoy yourself and enjoy this moment. Thank you for listening to this mediation, my name is Joseph, and have an amazing day. Sending much love.