Welcome to this travel companion,
The perfect way to find peace no matter what your destination.
Travelling can stress out the best of us,
Regardless of whether it's a trip that's coming up or one we've just finished.
It seems counterintuitive,
But the best way to overcome this travel stress is,
Well,
To do some more travelling.
But rest assured,
There are no custom checks or ports of any sorts,
Just you and me going on a walk.
So get your shoes on and let's get walking as I explain more about how this session will work.
Quick safety note though,
Be sure to have the volume at a level where you can still hear traffic if you're near a road or,
Better yet,
Go somewhere where you are safe.
Now,
Ophthalmologists refer to the calming effect on our brains caused by our eyes perceiving us moving through space,
A phenomenon known as optic flow.
A very fancy way of saying that we seem to chill out more when we walk,
Or that the world goes past us in a fashion where we can see everything.
Our eyes hold the key to allowing us to unwind and feel less anxious.
A similar effect happens when we exercise,
Our brains seem to love the increased blood flow and breath pattern.
In today's session,
We're actually going to do both of those things as we go on this lovely walk together.
Now,
One thing that is going to counteract the relaxing results of a walk will be bringing any worries or tensions with us.
So I'm going to ask you nicely,
Can we leave those concerns behind us and feel free to come back to them when you come back from this walk.
But for now,
Let's just focus on the walk and the time we have together.
Deal?
Nice.
I want you to start by stretching your eyes.
I know that sounds weird,
But this is going to help you bring in as much vision as you can and ultimately relax the brain as we see a full panoramic view.
So look all the way to your left.
Nice.
Now look all the way to your right.
Look all the way up and then look all the way down.
Then I want you to look into the distance and see the thing that you can make out that's the furthest away.
Train your eyes,
Squint them slightly to make out whatever that item is.
Really work those eyeballs of yours.
All right,
Good job.
Now bring your eyes and train them on something that is very close to you.
Something in your immediate vicinity.
Study it,
Notice it.
Okay,
Great.
Now simply look ahead at nothing in particular and take note of what's in your peripheral vision.
This incredible skill we have to see things that we aren't particularly looking at.
You don't need to make it out,
Just notice what's there.
Be aware of that blur on the side of your vision.
Take note of how it's an indication of your speed.
Now walk a little bit slower.
Slower still.
And take note of the change of perception of how things are going past you.
Now walk a little faster.
Faster still.
And now as if you're competing in the Olympics at that crazy walking race.
Go!
All right,
Now be aware of that blur on the other side of you.
Notice how it feels like you're a spaceship going into light speed.
Okay,
Relax there.
Go back to a normal pace.
Now I want you just to look around casually and notice anything that is moving on its own.
Could be the trees,
Maybe some cars,
Maybe the clouds.
Whatever it is,
Just let your eyes settle in on it and watch it for a moment as you walk.
Studying its movement,
Its pattern.
And noticing how it changes in relation to you.
Okay,
Change it up and look for something that is stationary around you.
Of course,
Keep walking.
Just study this thing that is not moving in your vision.
Really pay attention to the aspects that make it up.
The details,
The textures,
The shadows,
The light.
Okay,
Now look for something in your vision that's green.
Take note of all the things that are moving around you.
Pay attention to the different shades,
The different textures,
The rich variety of this singular color.
The ones that are pale,
The ones that are bright,
The ones that are dark,
The ones that are light.
Okay,
Now look for the highest thing that you can see in the sky.
You found it?
All right,
Good.
Now look for the thing that's closest to the ground that you can see.
Now look for the thing that's closest to the ground that you can see.
Okay,
Now look for the thing that's closest to the ground that you can see.
All right,
Good.
Now look for the thing that's closest to the ground that you can see.
All right,
Good work.
Now the eyes are adequately trained.
I want you to turn instead to the things that you can't see.
Beginning to notice how your heart is beating in this moment.
Just tapping into that pace of your own rhythm.
Noticing if you can feel your heartbeat in other parts of your body,
Maybe your fingertips,
Your thumbs,
Maybe it's in your chest,
Maybe it's in your belly.
And speaking of your belly,
Can you notice how your breath is moving in?
And out?
What pace is it moving at?
And now getting a bit more abstract,
Noticing how you feel on a whole in this moment.
Walking free,
Interacting with the world through your senses.
No right or wrongs,
Just noticing how you feel right now and right here.
Noticing how your body moves through space,
The symphony of your limbs moving forward and back,
Up and down,
As you cut through the air.
Nicely done.
Feel free to carry on this walk for as long as you want or you need.
But for now,
I'm going to jump off.
But don't fret.
If you want to hear from me again,
You know where to find me.
And I hope to see you soon.
Namaste.
