I was recently in the elevator with a guy who asked me if I played pokemon go. I thought it was funny, so we started talking. For the record – I do not play pokemon go! I was a little taken aback that he asked me actually, I wonder if I look like someone who would play Pokemon go? Either way, I was glad that he wanted to make conversation with me. I love meeting new people. He told me he was really into it. He was a bigger guy. He told me that he was an IT support person, went to school for business and technology, and that he was really into all types of video games. He told me that he had walked over 3km that day trying to find Pokemon and that he was really proud of himself. He said that usually he hates walking because it doesn’t provide him with enough “intellectual stimulus” but that this game gives him something to be interested in while he’s walking.

I was instantly fascinated. Why is it that we can’t go for a walk without requiring some sort of distraction? Why isn’t walking interesting enough on it’s own? To me, it seems like we are in constant pursuit of distraction, or “stimulus”, trying to fill all the quiet spaces of our life with something more, or better. It’s like we have conditioned ourselves to always be “doing” – we have become human doings, rather than human beings. And I am just as guilty as the next guy. Just before I sat down write this post I ate my salad while watching the first part of the documentary “forks and knives” – I wanted to feel like I was being “productive” while I was eating. It’s the plague of our modern world. The constant need to feel “productive” so we can be smarter, better, more successful, richer, more powerful – and it’s exhausting. It robs us of the beauty of the present moment.

So what do we do?

Well I can tell you one thing – I have thought long and hard about this. Every other day I say I am going to move to a mountain in India and be a monk. Live in an ashram. Just leave my whole life behind an immerse myself fully in sacred practices and rituals. But I know this isn’t the answer.

The stresses and demands of our modern world are not going to go away, and it isn’t always a good idea to run away from our problems. I definitely don’t have “the answer” – I don’t think anyone does. But I do think I have some good suggestions. My conversation with this gentleman got me thinking – why wasn’t just paying attention to walking enough stimulus for him? Mindful walking is a huge component of the 8-week Mindfulness course I teach, and I can vividly remember being pretty fascinated in all the things I noticed when I actually paid attention. Let’s face it – we spend a LOT of time walking. Around the house, malls, offices. On our lunch breaks. To the store. Maybe you walk for exercise. Walking is something we do often, and we can absolutely make this simple task a mindful one.

Here are 4 ways to start mindful walking:

1. Reading this article

If you have read this, you’ve already done one thing. Congrats! Your brain has been primed. Chances are the next few times you get up to walk, you’ll be reminded of this article and probably begin to pay attention to your walking. Even if you stop reading here, and you just notice one thing, anything about your walking, you will have been mindful.

2. Set some time aside, and go for an intentional, mindful walk.

Whether you walk for pleasure, or recreationally, be intentional about your next walk. Schedule some time in your day to go for a mindful walk.

You can start by bringing your awareness to your breath. Then gently to your physical sensations. Maybe you choose to scan your body from bottom to top, or top to bottom as you walk. Or maybe you chose to pay attention to the physical sensations that call out to you. Notice your thoughts, and if they wander or take over, thats ok. Acknowledge them and bring them back to the physical sensations. Begin to notice the feeling of the wind on your skin, and the temperature outside. Notice if you get annoyed. Notice if you get bored. It’s perfect stick with it. Get curious about your experience. Start with 5 minutes. If your walks are longer, then just allow the first 5 minutes to be intentionally mindful, and gradually build.

3. Notice when you are not being mindful as you walk.

Notice how it feels to go for an intentionally mindful walk, and how it feels to walk the way you always have. There is a difference I promise you.

One of the most amazing things that happens when you begin a mindfulness meditation practice, is not that you somehow become magically “present” all the time – it’s that you build the muscle of noticing when you’re not in the present moment. Notice when your mind wanders to some place else. When you itch to pull out your cell phone and begin scrolling Instagram – eh em. Notice these feelings, allow them to be there, and bring yourself back to a physical sensation, breath, or your awareness of the beauty of wherever it is you are walking.

4. Put away your cell phone and have a distraction free walk.

We all do it. Text and walk. Talk on the phone and walk. Look at Instagram as we walk, Facebook, twitter, tinder. Whatever your guilty pleasure is, we all have done it. Challenge yourself to walk without looking down at your phone. Start small and build your way up. Pay attention to how you feel with your phone, and how you feel without it.

Maybe initially walking without checking your phone makes you feel anxious. That’s ok, and completely normal – but it also is a symptom that you are likely addicted to your phone. Use this time to practice being without your phone, and completely immersed in what you are doing.

Listen, mindfulness is a practice, and honestly there is NO wrong way to do it. You can’t mess it up. That’s why I love it so much. Just start to pay attention, and that’s all you need to do. When we begin incorporating mindfulness intentionally into our days, it spills over into the rest of our days. I begin taking short, intentional mindful walks, and I can’t pin point the exact period of time, but at some point all my walks became mindful. I no longer have my face glued to my phone as I walk. My game is up and onward looking around at the beauty of what’s around me.

Beauty really is everywhere, you just have to open your eyes and be present to see it.

I hope this was helpful for you friends. I would love to hear what you think, so feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below!