Bandai Choi
Clinical Psychologist | Board-approved supervisor
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology, Essendon North, Footscray and telehealth across Australia
Can mindfulness work when sitting still or closing your eyes does not feel right? It can be practised while moving, with your eyes open and with attention on the ordinary details around you. This guided mindful walking exercise invites you to notice one step, one sight or one sound at a time. You can slow down, adjust it, sit down or stop whenever you need to.
TL;DR
- Mindful walking is a way of noticing the present moment while moving at an ordinary, safe pace.
- You can walk at your ordinary pace and return to one simple detail whenever your attention moves elsewhere.
- Eyes-open, external attention can be a useful option when inward focus or stillness feels uncomfortable.
- The guided video below offers a short, adaptable practice you can pause or leave at any point.
Watch the guided mindful walking practice
This video is an invitation to move with a little more notice, rather than a test of concentration. Choose a place where you can move safely. That may be a familiar room, a quiet path or a few steps beside a chair. Keep your attention on traffic, stairs, uneven ground and anything else that needs it.
Watch the mindful walking practice on YouTube.
Mindful walking as a flexible practice
Mindfulness is commonly described as paying attention to present-moment experience with openness, rather than getting caught in automatic reactions.[1] In a walking practice, that attention can land on the contact of your feet with the ground, the movement of your clothes, the light in a room or the sounds nearby.
Start wherever attention is easiest to place. You might choose a colour, a straight line on a building, the pattern of leaves or a steady sound. After a few steps, you may choose another detail. The practice can stay simple: notice what is here, then notice the next thing that is here.
Walk at the pace that feels natural for you. Thoughts may arrive while you move. You might notice “planning”, “worrying” or “remembering”, then choose to return attention to the next step or something you can see.
That return can happen many times. Each time is simply another opportunity to choose a sight, sound or movement that feels available in the moment. Some days, a few steps are enough. On other days, you may continue for longer because walking is already part of your routine.
The practice is a chance to notice where your attention has gone and choose a manageable place to put it next. If you would rather begin from one place, our Dropping the Anchor guided exercise offers another eyes-open, choice-based option.
Making the practice your own
Walking is only one format. If movement is not comfortable today, you can stand by a window, shift your weight in a chair or simply look around the room. If noticing your body feels too intense, stay with external details such as colour, shape, distance or sound. External attention is still attention to the present.
Choice and safety come first. Stop the practice if you feel more overwhelmed, disconnected or unsafe. Look towards familiar objects, name a few things you can see, press your feet into the ground or turn to another support that helps you orient. You do not need to push through an exercise.
Some people find thought-focused imagery more useful on another day. Leaves on a Stream is a guided exercise for noticing thoughts without needing to argue with them or make them disappear.
A few practical tips
- Choose a route or space that leaves enough attention for safety. A few steps indoors count.
- Begin with one neutral detail, such as the colour of a wall, a sound in the distance or the pressure under one foot.
- When your mind wanders, name what it is doing in a simple word, then return to what feels most workable.
- Keep the practice brief if that suits you. You can stop after a minute, or return to ordinary walking.
You may also be interested in
- Dropping the Anchor: an ACT-informed grounding exercise for a short practice that combines noticing, reconnecting and engaging with your surroundings.
- Leaves on a Stream: a mindfulness exercise for thoughts if you would like to practise letting thoughts come and go without following each one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to walk slowly for mindful walking?
You can walk at an ordinary pace. Bring attention to what is happening while you move, in whatever style of walking works for you.
What if I cannot focus on my body?
You can stay with what you see or hear around you instead. Looking at a familiar object, noticing colour or listening to a neutral sound are all valid ways to orient to the present.
What if the exercise makes me feel worse?
Stop. Return attention to safety and to your surroundings, and use a support that helps you feel more oriented. You do not need to continue a mindfulness exercise that is not feeling workable.
Get in touch
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology offers clinical psychology services focused on complex trauma and neurodivergent profiles, including ADHD and autism.
Essendon North · Footscray · Telehealth across Australia
0431 828 769reception@breathe-n-smile.comOnline enquiry form
References
- Bishop SR, Lau M, Shapiro S, et al. Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 2004;11(3):230-241. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bph077.