Mindful March: Day 18 and 19

Day 18

Develop your curiosity
Operating on automatic, focusing our minds on something else as we go through our daily life, means we can miss so much of what’s around us. We can take for granted the objects that we surround ourselves with, or the nature that lives around us. Today we’re going to ask you to develop your curiosity about something you look at every day.

How to do it
Pick an ordinary object that you see every day. Imagine you’ve never ever seen it, or anything like it before. What do you notice about its shape? Its texture? Is it rough or smooth? Spend at least a minute meditating on this object. Notice afterwards how you feel in body and mind.

Reflection
● What was it like to look at something with fresh eyes?
● Did it make you think any differently about it?

Day 19

Walking meditation
How to do it
Next time you’re walking somewhere, see what happens when you bring some mindful awareness to your journey. Notice what muscles are activated when you start to walk. Connect with the feeling at the bottom of the feet as they move along the ground. What do you notice about the air temperature as you move? What can you hear, see or smell as you’re walking? You don’t have to do this for a long walk – you can even try it with a walk down the corridor at work, or around the house at home.

Reflection
● How is this different to your normal walking?
● Were you more focused on the movements, or did the mind want to take you away with lots of thoughts?
● What sorts of things did you notice that you might not have noticed otherwise?
● How did you feel afterwards?

If you would like to be guided through your walk, you could try this audio track for mindful walking meditation.

Find out more about Mindful March.