Once you have made your conscious walk a routine and you are able to connect to the present moment, why not go a step further?
Indeed, after a few weeks of practice, you will see that it becomes a routine to unplug. As soon as you enter nature, you automatically get in this precious state of being present. From that moment on, you can work on building some personal development techniques into your conscious walk.
Ideas for Personal Growth in Nature:
- Guided meditations are great and there are many good ones freely available.
Check out meditations by Rebecca Campbell, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra.
- Learn from the best by listening to interesting, positive, motivational podcasts: health, personal development (should not be too academic as we do not want our brain to lead the way): Robin Sharma, Sadhguru...
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You can also chant mantras or repeat positive loving affirmations (Louise Hay has a lot of them). Pick the one you need on that particular day and repeat it while walking. You can also do this wearing a japa mala that will boost the effect - check japa malas (meditation necklaces) here.
- Introspection: self-understanding, especially in times of personal upheaval and crisis-ridden phases, which usually go hand in hand with personal development processes
- Work on healing your inner child. Nature is a sacred place for all of us (unless you have not found this precious connection yet). Children have a gift for tuning into nature mode, focusing on its treasures. Go find your inner child and take a walk together, enjoy the moment. I often take my inner girl on walks and I show her how beautiful this moment is (and she teaches me tricks too ;-)).
- Why not work on your fears: focus on the Now and they automatically disolve. Go beyond the fear that arises from a little noise.
- On a physical plane, you might also want to walk straight, correcting your posture. Increase the pace of your walk in order to do a little cardio work.
- Do some gentle yoga using trees, stones as support.
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Breathe in all the good air. Check out simple breathing techniques. Besides opening your lungs and breathing fresh air, you pump positive energy in. As you slow down your breathing, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated and all your body and mind get relaxed and balanced.
What are the benefits from this Personal Development in Nature?
- You relax & get grounded, with all related benefits: better sleep, better human interactions, reduced anxiety, better parenting, increased self-love.
- You get aligned with your life/soul purpose, you grow into a better human being.
- You get more creative. Being in the now allows your mind to calm down; it provides space for creativity to kick in. I always have many creative ideas after a good conscious morning walk. Ideas often come to me spontaneously while walking. But this should not be an end as it would prevent you from flowing, just let it happen. This in turn helps solve life problems (as it requires space and creativity).
- You get in physical shape: toned body, healthier heart, improved blood circulation, cleaner lungs, oxygenated body and skin etc etc
- You become a happier person: feeling better both physically and emotionnaly makes us happier. Personnaly, I get a lot of joy from seeing my dog running around playfully and listening to the birds.
If you are not familiar with conscious walking, check this article: how to conscious walk.