by Breezycycle

Created on: May 17, 2009   Last Updated: January 16, 2012

Walking can get your mind in shape to receive inspiration. While walking, you can sort out your thoughts, create fertile ground in your mind for creativity, and be ready for inspiration to come to you. The exertion in the outdoors will increase your feeling of well-being and enable you to recognize inspiration when it comes your way

Readiness to go out for a walk is the first step.

1. Choosing a walk that is a good match for your fitness level and for the amount of time you have to walk. If you are racing the clock or trying to beat a personal record, you cannot expect to be inspired.

2. Avoiding heading out for a walk in risky conditions,including threatening or walking in secluded areas by yourself..

3. Wear comfortable clothing suited to the temperature and humidity. Your shoes should fit well, not be over-worn, and your socks should not chafe your feat or cause friction. If you are walking for more than thirty minutes, you should carry a water bottle.On the trail, you will continue to increase your self-awareness.

Only under safe conditions can you be open to inspiration while you are walking.

1. Find your walking pace. Avoid rushing yourself or taking on a competitive approach to walking.

2. Your body's physiological response to exercise will help free you of the stresses that might be plaguing you. Enjoy that release. Relax, follow your planned walk and enjoy nature, the scenery, the quiet., or any other positive aspects of your walk.

3. Enjoy your walk and every sensory detail along the way. Don't think of walking as work. Get the most out of this walking experience, by enjoying the simple flow of walking to open your mind.

4. As your body responds to the physiological effects of stress-release , you will find that you start to really see the nature around you. Allowing your mind to wander and wonder, you may find that some of your observations of nature bring out the best thinking you have done in a long while.

5. As your mind, perception, and thoughts widen, pause to observe tiny details or to just concentrate fully on what you have started thinking about as you walk.

The revelations you discover on your walk can set you free. Tune-in to your body's cues. Listen to your breathing rate, feel the amazing response of sweating, of your mind expanding as you walk. Listen for the sounds around you: the brook or stream, a chipmunk rustling in the leaves, a bird singing overhead, the crunching sound of your feet on the trail, the trees in the breeze.

As inspiration seeps into your mind, let your mind welcome the inspiration, and let it expand to help you see a solution to a problem, produce more feelings of peace and well-being, to brainstorm ideas, or see a situation from a fresh perspective. Enjoy walking as a way to exercise your body and inspire your mind and spirit.

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