Mindful Running Or Walking Practice

This audio track provides a guided mindful movement practice designed to be used while you are running or walking. The guide leads you through a "moving body scan," encouraging you to tune into the physical sensations of different parts of your body, starting from your feet and ankles and moving all the way up to your head. The practice is intended to help pass the time, build gratitude for your body's capabilities, and distract you from the fatigue or mental clock-watching that often accompanies exercise.

Transcript

This is a mindful movement practice, And it can be used for when you're running or when you're walking. And if you're anything like me, I'm constantly thinking of how many minutes I need to run for before I can walk. And I'm doing the couch to 5k currently in week five. And I'm really finding this is helping me. So I really hope that it's helping you. If you've done any mindfulness before, It's very much like a body scan, But you're kind of tuning into the different parts of your body and the physical sensations of that. But it's kind of like a moving body scan. So, Let's start with the feet and really feeling how those feet feel when they're hitting the ground, Walking or running. It could be that you want to concentrate on the left foot for a little while. And then the right foot or kind of left and right as they hit the ground and really feeling all those tendons and bones in your feet working together to enable you to walk or run right now. And now moving up to your ankle, Just feeling the sensations in your two ankles. How you're running or walking. I'm really feeling how they connect with the feet and that movement as you put your foot down and then it leaves the ground again. And maybe. . . Even sensing the arc that your feet make as they leave the ground and hit the ground again. If you're walking, Obviously it will be a lower arc. And if you're running, It will be a higher arc. Just feeling that gratitude, Really, That you can walk and you can run because of your feet. It might be that you can feel your feet and your ankles in your trainers. And you might really like your trainers like me. And just being thankful for the trainers and all your muscles and bones and tendons that allow you to get out there and enjoy your walk or run. Now, You might be warming up a little and you might be able to sense that in your legs. So just focusing now on your calves and your shins. Again, You might want to feel the left lower leg and then the right lower leg or left, Right, Left, Right as you're moving. You might be able to feel the sensations of your trousers against your skin or the air as you are walking or running. And now moving on to your knees. And if you have any judgments about different parts of your body, Just try and let that go and really focus into the physical sensations. And just feeling that sense of power in your legs. And moving up to your thighs. Again, You might want to focus on your left thigh, The front and the back. And then your right thigh, Front and the back. Or both together if you can expand your awareness to feel the left and the right thighs. I'm really feeling inside the leg, So the muscles that are working hard to enable you to be moving today. All those complicated parts of the body working in complete unison to allow you to move. And now moving up to your buttocks. When I'm running, I can feel them kind of tight and I think, Great, That's gonna be great in the future. Not that we want to be thinking about the future, But right now, Just feeling again that sense of power with your glutes, Enabling you to walk or run. And now moving up to your lower back. Again, Letting go of any judgments or any story that you might have about this area of your body and just really sensing into that physical feeling. How it feels right now as you're walking or running. And you'd find any words might be hot or tingling or strong or pulsating, Whatever words fits your feelings right now. Bringing that real sort of curiosity to it. It might not have a label, Doesn't need a label, But it's just about focusing your attention on that part of your body. And now moving around to your abdomen and just knowing there is a six pack under there somewhere. Some might be more visible than others, But the more you walk or run and the more you exercise, Then really working that area. And then just focusing, See if you can feel your breathing in there. A lot of the times when we were running, It's very much in the chest, But you know, To really work more efficiently in daily life as well as when we're running or walking, Then to really trying to breathe into your abdomen to really fill up those lower lungs so we can really sense that abdomen coming out and coming back in with our in-breath and our out-breath. And now moving to your upper back and just how that's feeling right now. Is it feeling solid and stable? Do you feel supported? Again, Just tuning in to the physical sensation and letting go of any stories about any injuries that you might have had over the years or just feeling right now, How's that for you? Might be that you can feel your shoulder blades really moving backwards and forwards as you run or walk. You might be able to feel the t-shirt or whatever you have against the back today. Might be feeling quite warm as you're moving. And now moving around to your chest. Again, Feeling that breath coming in and out, Whatever pace it is for you. Not trying to change it in any way, But just really just feeling that life coming in and out through that breath. It's amazing how all of our muscles just work together. We don't have to think about it really as we walk or run. We don't have to think about the breathing. Just happens naturally, Keeping us alive. Now moving on to your arms. When I'm running, I can really feel them kind of swinging. It feels like it gives me power to move, Especially when I'm feeling tired. What can you feel right now? Left and right. Either taking one arm at a time or feeling them both if you can expand your awareness for both of them. Your upper arms your forearms, Really feeling that strength. Now moving on to your hands. You might have different sensations. They might feel warm, Maybe a bit sweaty. And just the movement of the actual hands themselves. What I find helpful is taking the fingers in turn and really sensing into that swinging sort of feeling, Almost imagining if I was drawing a line, What kind of shape would it make? So let's do that now with your thumb. Start now with your right hand, Your thumb on your right hand. As you're walking or running, What would that shape be? It was a marker or a pen moving around. And now your left hand. What shape would it be drawing in the air? And now your index finger on your right hand. Just sensing into that shape that it's drawing in the air as you move. And your left hand. The shape it's drawing. And now your middle finger. Left and then your right or both at the same time if that's what you want to do. And now your fourth finger. Just sensing into that movement on both hands. And your little finger. I really find this helpful in passing the time when I'm waiting for Michael Johnson to tell me to stop running. Now, Moving on to your head, Let's start with the neck. So, All those muscles working in unison to really keep that heavy head with your wonderful brain. Up upright as you're walking or running. And just bringing a sense of ease to that area. Even though you're walking or running, You don't need to hold on to any tension. You can allow all the other muscles in the body to take over and just to do eat naturally. And just moving up at the back of the head, The scalp, You might be able to feel your hair moving around as you move. You might feel hot. And then your forehead again might feel a bit sweaty, Just sensing into that feeling. And allowing the jaw and the temples just to relax. So although you're running, You don't need to hold that tension. And your mouth and the tongue inside your mouth, Just allowing it. Just to relax. And now sensing the breath coming into your mouth or your nose and that in-breath. I'm just paying attention to the temperature as it's coming in. And then as it leaves your body, Again through your nose or mouth. But it's a change in temperature, It's warmer. And the oxygen and the in-breath. Going through your blood and powering all your organs and your muscles and really having an appreciation of your body right now and what it's enabling you to do. I think there's a real tendency to focus on what's wrong, But actually so much of it is, You know, What is right and what it's allowing you to do. And if we can walk, If we can run, Then let's face it, We're pretty lucky, Aren't we? So I hope you found this helpful in taking your mind off how many seconds or minutes you have to run for. And yeah, Let me know what you think. Hopefully, If you do this a few times, Then you'll be able to do it naturally when you're going out for a run. And you can just focus on, You know, The different body parts, Just to sort of pass the time. And it's really good as a mindfulness practice as well. Okay, Thank you.