A Mindful Walk Into Spring

Spring is a period of renewal. The earth comes to life again as animals and plants awaken from a season of hibernation. We, too, awaken from our own form of winter slumber. 

During the colder months many of us spend far more time indoors, and we can start to feel a sense of disconnect from the natural world. With so much of our attention pulled into smartphones, television and online media, it’s easy to feel depleted and ungrounded. 

Spring invites us back outside and into a shared time of renewal. Mindfulness practice can help us shift out of our winter habits, reconnect with nature and awaken a sense of well-being. 

Here is a mindfulness practice that can be done anytime and anywhere.

Practice Mindfulness to Celebrate Spring

Get Ready to Walk

• Set aside 20 minutes to mindfully walk outside. If possible, leave your phone at your home or office.
• As you step across the threshold from inside to outside, begin the practice of actively letting go of daily worries — the never‑ending to‑do list, fear, anger and any need to control the moment. Shake it off like a wet dog, then proceed.
• Stand still for a moment, and open your awareness to the natural world.
• Breathe slowly and fully. Feel each breath as it flows in and out. Notice the quality of the air, perhaps its coolness or moisture. Deeply feel the body’s sensations of breathing. Sense the body expand with the life‑renewing in‑breath. Feel the exhalation and perhaps the release of accumulated stress.
• Open your eyes widely, and feel the flood of natural light.
• Feel the ground beneath your still feet, supporting your body against gravity.
• Sense the air embracing your body and tune in to the quality of its touch — coolness, warmth, moisture, dryness. Feel the movement of air as the wind brushes across your skin.

Start Your Walk

• Walk slowly, feeling the qualities of the body in motion as it moves across the earth and through space.
• When memories of unfinished tasks or problems arise, greet them kindly, acknowledge that this is what the mind does, and return to who you are in this moment with nature.
• Bring awareness to the natural environment being experienced through each of the senses:
  • What is being seen?
    Perhaps gaze up at the sky, along the horizon or down to the ground. Even in dense urban areas, nature exists. You may notice buds, leaves unfurling, green returning to the grass or the vibrant colors of early spring flowers.
  • What is being heard?
    Tune into the sounds of nature: the wind blowing around buildings or through trees or the song of a migrating bird returning after its winter retreat. This may mean letting the background noise fade to hear the subtle notes of spring.
  • You may even sense the subtle smell or taste of the season.
• Somewhere along your walk, nature may invite you to pause in stillness ... a tree, the sky, a flower, whatever seems to call you to be present and share the moment.  Linger and allow yourself to be embraced by the season unfolding around you.

End Your Walk

• When you return and cross the threshold back into your home or office, pause and feel the embodiment of spring and perhaps a sense of gratitude for the earth’s fellowship.

This practice of renewal reminds me of a passage by John O’Donohue:

“…beneath the surface of winter, the miracle of spring is already in preparation; the cold is relenting; seeds are wakening up. Colors are beginning to imagine how they will return. Then, imperceptibly, somewhere one bud opens, and the symphony of renewal is no longer reversible. From the black heart of winter, a miraculous, breathing plenitude of color emerges.”

Check out our free collection of guided meditations, including body scans, created to support you in your mindfulness practice. 

Our Center for Mindfulness offers many mindfulness courses and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs. 

Guest Blogger: Ginny Wholley is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Instructor at UMass Memorial Health Center for Mindfulness.