Mindful Walking.

Aongus Von Bismarck

I was reading the Irish Examiner this morning when I happenchanced upon an article about the creation of a mindful walking group in Cork.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/walk-this-way-to-inner-peace-says-ex-army-commandant-331170.html

Has anyone tried mindful walking? I've incorporated a regular mindfulness practice into my life and I find that it gives me an emotional toolkit for dealing with the stressful and fast-paced world we live in.

Do the good people of AH have a regular mindfulness practice, and if so, what benefits are they seeing?

Sheep Lover

I've tried mindful ****. It's like **** but more mindful.

fizzypish

Took up smoking a pipe. Like it a lot. Look like a bit of a twat but there's downsides to everything.

charlietheminxx

I thought that this was going to be about watching where you go instead of storming around with your head in your phone or the clouds.

Sheep Lover

fizzypish wrote: »

Took up smoking a pipe. Like it a lot. Look like a bit of a twat but there's downsides to everything.

A crack pipe? Yeah it's all the rage, once you start you can't can't stop sorta thing.

Grayson

There's classes in it here. Buddhist monks practice it a lot.

Was tempted to attend a class.

Ush1

Go back to Russia, you commie hippy.

Mint Aero

I don't walk anywhere peasant, I travel in my yacht.

Un Croissant

I keep energy vampires away with positive energy garlic. Is that what you mean, op?

My chakras are 8.4/10.

fizzypish

Sheep Lover wrote: »

A crack pipe? Yeah it's all the rage, once you start you can't can't stop sorta thing.

Lol. No just pipe tobacco. Although I don't have a pouch for the tobacco so I'm carrying it around in a zip lock bag and it looks to the passer by like weed.

There is very little in the article explaining what he means by the term "mindful walking". So I guess one is expected to read his book to understand it. "Mindfulness" and "Meditation" are alas catch all words that are used to describe quite disparate things - from the very useful and beneficial - to the complete hash of woo nonsense. So one has to unpack the claims of any speaker about it to see what they are actually talking about when they use those words - and make no rash assumptions.

If however he means merely incorporating more standard aspects of mindfulness meditation - into standard life practices like walking - then I am all for it.

I took up mindfulness meditation myself quite some time ago - Vipassana specifically - and I still do the stereotypical meditation occasionally of sitting cross legged and straight backed in a room engaging in the practice. I saw enough benefits from it to put up an Advert in a few places - like the local college - to offer entirely free guided meditation "classes" (if you can call it that) to others.

It has been taken up mostly by students as I expected - but I am also surprised that I have regulars in people with addictions - anger issues - and life paths different to my own (I have a full time priest and a trainee priest) - and more. Even have one guy who comes semi regularly who suffers from chronic and constant pain.

But I do incorporate it into my life now rather than simply the stereotypical cross legged straight backed position. I do a morning run and an evening cycle - and I incorporate the practices mostly there. I do it while cooking or cleaning too. Any aspect of my day that is relatively mundane or automatic I incorporate those practices.

It is also useful in the moments before a stressful event - to console and prepare oneself. There was a nice contrast done artistically on this in Star Wars where Qui-Gon Jinn finally faces down Darth Maul. During the fight they are blocked from further fighting briefly by a transparent barrier. Maul paces up and down hitting things - while Jinn essentially drops into mindfulness meditation. This advertisement for meditation is not helped by the fact Maul kills Jinn moments later - but I still enjoyed that image all the same.

I guess one reaches the point where Mindfulness is not just something you do in set blocks of time - but it becomes incorporated into everything you do. You notice thoughts careening into consciousness and rather than be slaves to them - you observe them and allow them to move on. And this can help with everything from addiction and anger - to focus and distractions and motivation. I can scare think of a single aspect of my life that has not benefited directly or indirectly from the practice in the end.

Eutow

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I was reading the Irish Examiner this morning when I happenchanced upon an article about the creation of a mindful walking group in Cork.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/walk-this-way-to-inner-peace-says-ex-army-commandant-331170.html

Has anyone tried mindful walking? I've incorporated a regular mindfulness practice into my life and I find that it gives me an emotional toolkit for dealing with the stressful and fast-paced world we live in.

Do the good people of AH have a regular mindfulness practice, and if so, what benefits are they seeing?

What do you mean by mindful walking, and would it be the same as this former army persons interpretation of it?

NotYourYear20

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Has anyone tried mindful walking?

You mean cop on?

I was quite mindful while walking yesterday and if I wasn't, I probably would have stepped in front of that truck.

Egginacup

"happenchanced" ?

Did you try to shoehorn the word "happenstance" in there by any chance?
Even though it doesn't belong?

Birneybau

Grayson wrote: »

There's classes in it here. Buddhist monks practice it a lot.

Was tempted to attend a class.

Classes in Boards?

Alun

Egginacup wrote: »

"happenchanced" ?

Did you try to shoehorn the word "happenstance" in there by any chance?
Even though it doesn't belong?

There is a word 'happenchance' but it's a noun, not a verb.

Ex army? Surely a better title would be "From Mindless Marching to Mindful Walking".

Anyway, it all seems like a load of lifecoaching cock. I mean, of course hiking and walking and exercise in general is beneficial, do people seriously need to be told this or how to "do it better"?

bnt

Every weekend I do some Mindful Drinking. That's how it starts but, as the night progresses, I find it harder to keep my mind on my mind ...

diomed

Eutow wrote: »

What do you mean by mindful walking, and would it be the same as this former army persons interpretation of it?

It might be marching, or sashaying. I'd like to see an example of it.

Adamantium

And be mindful walking around Cork too, the place is like a former Yugoslavian minefield.

diomed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zt5xX3C3wM

anncoates

It's basically the opposite of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGiNP1VZhy0

Dravokivich

Eutow wrote: »

What do you mean by mindful walking, and would it be the same as this former army persons interpretation of it?

I try to be mindful of not walking into others.

Summer wind

I love to walk. Especially by the water. It's lovely in summer or winter and makes me feel good.

walkingshadow

To me, Mindful Walking is navigating through the streets of Cork in the early hours of a Saturday night, while attempting to avoid the viscous vomit, urine and excrement that saturate the city streets.

Menas

It is just so hard to get a good definition of Mindfulness. Bugs the hell out of me.

Greek Yoghurt

Trigger Happy wrote: »

It is just so hard to get a good definition of Mindfulness. Bugs the hell out of me.

What confuses you about it?

Yamanoto

Trigger Happy wrote: »

It is just so hard to get a good definition of Mindfulness.

It's what makes Aongus the man he is.

A ringing endorsement so.

Greek Yoghurt

When you are in a state of presence(mindfulness) depression will dissappear.

Grayson

Birneybau wrote: »

Classes in Boards?

Vietnam & Thailand. Guess that was rather essential information to leave out.

There's even a MonkChat program. Basically you chat to a monk for about an hour so they can learn English and then you learn meditation from them for an hour.

(And yes, I did think of the priest chat line from Fr Ted when I heard of Monk Chat)

Grayson

And the meditation classes focus on basic meditation and meditative walking.

Pumpkinseeds

I'd really appreciate it if other pedestrians would be mindful of people using the footpaths. Fricking people walking side by side, sometimes in groups of 3, refusing to let you pass. They soon get a bash on the arm with my handbag as we collide, I'm not walking in the road or the grass because some fcuker has no manners. Worse still are the groups of runners hogging the paths at night.:mad:

Eutow

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

I'd really appreciate it if other pedestrians would be mindful of people using the footpaths. Fricking people walking side by side, sometimes in groups of 3, refusing to let you pass. They soon get a bash on the arm with my handbag as we collide, I'm not walking in the road or the grass because some fcuker has no manners. Worse still are the groups of runners hogging the paths at night.:mad:

You can also add those that stop dead in the centre of the path for no reason, or those that do a 180 degree turn and walk the other way without looking. Bad for the blood pressure.

So, to answer AVB, too much walking can lead to a greater chance of the above happening.

It is amazing how much anger, frustration and resentment the mere act of walking down a road can illicit in some people It is a wonder half of our species get through the day at all sometimes. What we need is a thread on mindfulness meditation to help you all with these emotional issues -

- oh wait.

Ruu

Greek Yoghurt wrote: »

When you are in a state of presence(mindfulness) depression will dissappear.

Load of bollox.

Smidge

Grayson wrote: »

Vietnam & Thailand. Guess that was rather essential information to leave out.

There's even a MonkChat program. Basically you chat to a monk for about an hour so they can learn English and then you learn meditation from them for an hour.

(And yes, I did think of the priest chat line from Fr Ted when I heard of Monk Chat)

Wait, on this boards? :eek:

Malari

KingZeus wrote: »

It's true actually, the ego is what feeds depression and thoughts are what feed the ego. By removing identification with thought and by changing your focus to be outside of your thoughts your ego can't function. When you remove thoughts and become present to the moment there is no depression, you observe the negative emotions in your body and you don'the judge them. You observe thoughts as they arise like a wave in the sea and you observe them lose form like the wave in the sea.you are not your thoughts, you are the observer of your thoughts. You are not the pain or pleasure in your body, you are the observer of those feelings in non judgemental stillness. Thought, and more specifically identification with thought feeds and strengthens depression.

.....what??

Malari

Malari wrote: »

.....what??

I believe he was calling that load of bollox a load of bollox.

Malari

KingZeus wrote: »

You know that feeling when someone offends you and you feel the need to retaliate, that's the ego controlling you, the story of who you are (your ego) feels threatened so it wants to retaliate to strengthen it's story.

With you so far.....

Menas

This thread is attracting the newbies, three of ye on this one thread!

Arsemageddon

This mindfulness sh1te sounds like the most boring cult in human history

Irish Guitarist

I go for long walks (sometimes over 20 miles) and enjoy the scenery. I don't need to give it a fancy name, it's just walking.

Harry Palmr

One of the curses of the modern world is that everything now has to come packaged with a name/brand and is quite possibly something that people will actually charge you for.

It used to be called things like common sense and cop on.

A quiet walk does not need to be sold as a cure or a medicine. Its a walk and you'll get out of it what you put in basically.

rosb

That guy in article was talking on the John Murray Show this morning.