Welcome into this active mindful walk where we're going to be helping serotonin get going.
This is part of the happy chemicals series where I talk about how you can naturally get chemicals going,
The hormones going that we need to help with our mood,
To lower depression and to help with our mental health.
So the focus today is on serotonin and the perfect way to do that is to go out on a walk.
Walking in nature,
Sun exposure,
Meditation in general,
Keeping your gut happy,
Cycling,
Walking,
Swimming,
All of these things are ways to get serotonin going.
So serotonin if you don't know is a neurotransmitter and it's crucial when it comes to regulating our mood.
So if we're low on serotonin we can also have a real dip in our mood and as with everything in this series this is a way for me to teach you how to tap into these things naturally and to make sure you're doing everything you can to get your body producing these hormones and chemicals naturally.
This isn't designed to replace antidepressants,
Medication or any natural herbs you might use but as a way to add them in so that your well-being is full-rounded and holistic.
So plug in,
Put your walking shoes on and take me out on that walk with you.
I will be talking to you at intervals,
Guiding you with my voice but enjoy the music and enjoy getting your body moving.
We're going to go for 30 minutes but feel free to make this shorter if you just want to go out for 10 minutes.
You can end this meditation after whatever time you want or if you prefer to go for longer you can always repeat it.
Beginning walking and just finding a natural rhythm,
A natural pace to your walk and a natural pace with your breath.
There's no right or wrong way to do this.
Let go of there being a certain way you need to do a walking meditation.
Let go of any expectation.
Your body knows how to do this,
Your body knows how to walk,
It knows how to move and it knows how to begin to release thoughts and the mind as it moves.
Feeling that connection between your feet and the ground you're walking on.
That grounded,
Secure feeling of putting one foot in front of the other,
Walking and moving.
Connecting with the air.
Feeling grounded and this point that's as far away from the mind as possible which is the feet.
Notice what it feels like to be in your feet.
What it feels like to ground down into the body.
Gentle breaths as you're walking along allowing your ribcage to fill up,
Allowing yourself to inhale and exhale at a pace that feels good for you.
Seeing if instead of looking down you can actually look up and take in everything around you.
Just do this for a bit without my voice guiding you,
Taking in the scenery,
Taking in things you can see,
Maybe even just taking in the sky,
Soaking it up as you walk.
Naming in your mind five things you can see as you walk and take your time to do this.
Perhaps a tree,
Perhaps a building,
A bird.
What can you actually see with your eyes around you?
Notice any colors you can see,
What colors perhaps the things you're noticing are.
Even if this walk you're doing is familiar,
I want you to see if you can notice and spot something you've never noticed before.
Is there a building you're walking past that you've never seen before?
A house?
The color of someone's door?
A tree you didn't see there before?
What can you notice today that you have never noticed before?
Coming out of caring what anyone thinks of you,
Coming out of caring about all of those external things we can get so caught up in and letting yourself enjoy this walk,
Enjoying your body moving without pressure,
Without telling yourself I need to do a certain amount,
I need to get this done.
Can you let go of that and actually just enjoy yourself and let go of all the things that you're feeling your body in motion.
This is one of the most natural states for your body to be in,
To be outside moving but in one foot in front of the other.
Perhaps imagining your body thanking you for this,
Your body feeling so good that you're getting up and out and going on this walk.
Putting aside anything you think you should be doing,
Letting that just come and go out your mind if it wants to.
As you walk I want you to imagine that thoughts don't really have a chance to stay too long,
So they almost pass you by like pedestrians on the street.
They might be there momentarily but if you keep walking,
Keep moving,
They'll soon pass by.
Could you do this with your thoughts as you move through this walk?
As thoughts about your life or anything else come up,
Could you let them come and just as easily let them go as you continue to move forward?
Feeling empowered,
Feeling capable,
Feeling as though you are strong and can do absolutely anything.
Feeling confident in yourself,
Allowing yourself to hold your head up high as you walk,
Not shrinking yourself.
Can you notice any sounds around you,
Even through your headphones?
Can you hear the sound of birds?
Can you hear the sound of traffic?
What is it you can hear around you?
These might be sounds you don't usually notice on your everyday walk.
Affirming that I have absolute autonomy over my moods,
Over my internal state,
Over my internal well-being and I'm so,
So capable and I know how to look after myself.
My body is thanking me for it right now.
Life can get tough at times and there are going to be days where we don't want to get out of bed.
There are going to be days where we don't really want to do much at all or maybe just days where our confidence feels lower.
It's okay to have days like that and it's okay to have moments like that but remember this feeling that once you get moving,
Once you put one foot in front of the other,
It feels so good and you remember that you are capable.
As you're walking,
As you're taking in everything around you,
Holding your head up high,
I wonder if there's any unnecessary fears,
Unnecessary worries that you're holding at the moment in your life.
This can be a beautiful time to reflect on what's needed versus what can I start to let go.
Am I holding on too heavily to the past?
Am I replaying things that really I no longer need to?
Am I telling myself I'm not good enough or things are going to go wrong or keep going over and over the same fear?
This way of worrying does not serve us,
It doesn't help us,
It doesn't make anything any better,
It just brings our energy down.
As you walk,
As you take in everything around you,
I wonder what's one thing you could almost leave,
One thing you could allow to fall away,
Almost as though you dropped it and left it here on this walk.
What could you happily let drop and continue to walk?
Something you're ready maybe to let go of.
Check back in with the things you can notice,
Come back into those senses.
What can you see around you?
What colours can you see?
Maybe smells even?
Sounds?
And what does it feel like to connect back to nature?
Even if there's just a bit of grass or one tree on this walk,
What does it feel like to be back in your most natural state that is in nature and being connected to nature?
Visualising the sun,
Even if it's blocked behind clouds,
Coming through those clouds or coming just directly from the sky down on your skin and imagining that serotonin being released and your body feeling so thankful for it.
Imagining the warmth,
The chemical reaction that goes on and imagining your whole mood boosting as you take this in and soak this up.
The sun wants to be there to energise you,
It is happy to energise you,
It wants to make you feel good.
Almost thanking the sun for that as you walk and soaking up all of its rays,
All of its good energy.
Keep feeling it into your feet,
Keep grounding down,
Again tap into what it feels like to be in this part of the body so far away from the mind and into the feet.
If things are still playing on your mind remember things do have a way of working themselves out.
I'm a firm believer that there's always a solution even if we can't see one and where there's not a solution there's room to let go.
Let's play around now with expanding your energy field so as you walk again holding your head up high and imagine there's light emanating right out from your body,
A bubble of light that surrounds you.
You choose the colour pink,
Blue,
White,
Whatever you're drawn to and I want you to imagine that this aura of light around you as you're walking is both protecting you as well as allowing you to shine.
It's expanding your energy field and you go from being perhaps just a few inches in radius to expanding further and further out.
Your auric field expands to maybe five inches,
Maybe 10 inches,
All the way out to maybe 20 inches.
It's as though the trees that are maybe a good few meters away from you can feel your energy and your auric field is touching them.
This is your centre of power and this is playing around with your energy fields to expand it.
Drawing the energy field right the way in if you want to play around with that in and out,
In and out.
Imagining saying hello to the trees or things you're passing by with your energy fields.
Keep doing that if it feels good or allow that image to drop.
Start to feel as you connect with nature,
Your interconnectedness with every single thing.
You're never ever alone even on the days that you think you are.
Every single tree if you can see them are interconnected.
Every single thing for that matter on this planet is an ecosystem and it's all connected and you are part of that.
Feel your belonging and feel your place in this world as you allow yourself to move through the outside world.
You're part of that and you're needed here.
Notice what this has been like to come out of your mind,
To come on a mindful walk where you're not doing something,
Where your energy is not over there focused on someone or something else but just purely in the present moment.
That's what you're doing right now,
You're in the present moment,
You're in the only moment that is ever happening.
By doing this,
This is how we don't miss life.
This is how we soak life up at every single moment,
Not by doing more but by being present in even the simple things that we do.
That's how life starts to feel more fulfilling,
To feel filled up but in a good way.
Maybe you're heading back now,
Maybe you're going around another lap wherever you are,
Just enjoy this music,
Enjoy your energy going,
Enjoy your blood pumping,
Enjoy the sunshine and get that energy moving.
When you're ready,
One last soak up of everything around you and if you're ready to play this again,
Play it again if you're ready to bring it to a gentle close and let's do so.
Thanking yourself for taking yourself on this walk today,
For practicing this,
For becoming present,
For letting go of judgment,
For letting go of fears and worries on this walk.
You can come back to this anytime you need to.
This would have helped with serotonin and this would have helped with those happy chemicals that are naturally accessible to us.
I'm Scarlet,
Licensed therapist and meditation teacher and if you'd like,
Come and listen to the other three in this series for happy chemicals where we get the other hormones going that's going to naturally benefit you.
I'll see you in a meditation sleep.
