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Mindfulness has become something of a buzzword lately.
You hear about mindful meditation andmindful eating.
The basic idea of mindfulness is simple.
Mindfulness meditation can improve cognitive function and working memory, quell anxiety and boost creativity.
But it doesnt have to be.
He calls it walking mindfully, or practicing mindfulness while you walk, and thats literally all it is.
Heres how you do it.
It doesnt have to be long.
Even a five-minute walk twice a day will give you enough time to really get into it.
There just has to be a repetitive component to it, like chopping, stirring, sweeping or scrubbing.
That might sound obvious, but it isnt.
A lot of the time were looking, but not seeing, Cox tells SELF.
You dont have to stand and stare longingly at a leaf, Cox laughs.
At first thats most likey to be whatever is loudest, like traffic or construction.
See how many different sounds you’ve got the option to identify.
Big city dwellers may want to tread cautiously here.
If youve ever done yoga or mediation, you know that it alwayscomes back to the breath.
Here, the repetition of your steps is analogous to the repetition of breathing.
Its the rhythmic, continuous sensation that is happening the whole time.
This is the focal point of the practice.
Cox says to pay attention with as much detail as possible to the sensation as youre walking.
What does it feel like when your foot touches the ground?
What is it like to push off one foot and lead with the other?
Listen to the sound of the blade slicing through your food and savor the smells as you add ingredients.
The ultimate goal of walking mindfully is to learn to notice when your mind wanders off.
What naturally happens is you will get lost in thought, Cox explains.
If it didnt happen you would be dead.
People beat themselves up over it and you shouldnt, because you want it to happen.
The more reps you do, the better you get.
You just did mindfulness.
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Walking mindfully can make you feel calmer, more focused and refreshed right away.
“you could get that from just a couple minutes,” says Cox.
It’s not only unpleasant and stressful, but can reinforce the action of dwelling on negative thoughts.
“It’s a positive byproduct of doing meditation that this awareness starts to arise of its own accord.
You spend more time aware of your thoughts.
It’s a healthier way of living.”
Photo Credit: Anubhav Saxena / Unsplash
