Summary ꙳ Objectives
▹ In connecting with our surroundings, it is important to make room for those walks which have no purpose other than simply walking – doing nothing but just wandering along.
Aimless walks are health-beneficial as they help to disconnect from the unnecessary and reconnect with yourself. It is a relaxing moment, a form of mediation, as well as it opens our mind to our surroundings. Enjoy! ツ
Type » Activity
Level » Foundation + Wellness
When? » Spring ⋆ Summer ⋆ Fall
Where? » Outdoors
Time » ~ 15 minutes+
Themes & Skills
Sensory awareness ⋆ Slowing down ⋆ Feeling part of Nature ⋆ Gratitude
Material
Yourself, alone or with your circle's companions, possibly bare feet weather and location permitting.
Activity
Give it a try: Go out 15 mins during the day and meander. Silence or turn off your phone and really disconnect from your digital assistant. Start your No Purpose walk breathing slowly in and out for a few breaths.
If you are participating in a circle outdoors, propose dedicating the 10 last minutes or so before the closing circle doing just that: strolling aimlessly...
If you are in Nature, take the activity a notch further, and walk as silently as you can – even better: try Fox walking!
» Fox Walking
Fox Walking is actually great for tons of reasons including health. Although there is not necessarily scientific evidence of this, still people who Fox walk acknowledge that it eases physical pains such as back pain (likely because it simply involves relaxing your body), and increases senses awareness.
You might feel at odds when first walking this way. But with time, you might realize that this is ‘the good way’ to move in a forest because it maximizes our awareness of what lies and lives around us. To optimize the experience you can try it bare feet!
1 – Initial Contact
When your foot comes down, the first point of contact should be the outside ball of your foot that is closest to your little toe.
2 – Roll To The Inside
Then roll your foot laterally until the outside ball and inside ball of your foot are both making contact with the earth.
3 – Lower The Heel
Lower your heel so that your entire foot is in contact with the earth.
Walk the walk… As you fox walk forward, your feet should be placed directly in line with each other. This creates maximum balance, silence, and the least disturbance possible.
Anytime that we are fox walking, we should also exercise a wide angle type of vision. Essentially a wide angle vision is a 180 degrees view. Try that: spread your arms as far as you can while looking forward. Head straight look forward but at the time perceive your 2 hands at opposite sides of your body (spread at almost 180 deg from each other). When you maintain this vision you increase your ability to see movements. You are simply increasing your vision field.
Example of Fox Walking »
References
The Eyes On Our Feet: Foxwalking Stratton Mountain (Wanderlust)
Reconnecting with Nature TED Series » Be inspired to go out and rediscover the wonders of the natural world with these talks that will give you a deeper understanding of where the wild things grow.