How to build a walking meditation into your outdoor swim

A short walking meditation is a way of extending and deepening the experience of outdoor swimming, and it will warm you up too. Your walking meditation doesn’t need to be a long walk, even a few minutes will give your mind some downtime says Liz Lowe

Here’s how to do it

1. Find somewhere you can take at least 10 steps.

2. Decide on a distance or set a timer if you are walking back and forth.

3. Begin by paying attention to your body – feel the ground beneath your feet and notice how your body moves as you slowly place one foot in front of the other. What connects with the ground, what moves and what is still? 

4. Next, observe what’s around you. How many different colours and textures can you see? How many shades of green? 

5. Now expand your focus to include surrounding sounds. Listen to the sounds that are closest to you and then those that are furthest away.

6. If you become distracted, return to feeling the rhythm of your body as you walk.

If a walk isn’t an option, try taking a few minutes just to look around and observe sounds, colours and textures within your environment.

This article is from the March 2023 issue of Outdoor Swimmer. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.