Relax whilst walking.

If you think about it, walking has always been one of our most natural states.
We were made to walk – to move slowly, to take in what’s around us, to wander and wonder.

And yet, most of us now walk in a blur.
Lost in thought. Lost in podcasts. Lost in thinking about destinations.

But what if walking wasn’t just getting somewhere?
What if you could relax whilst walking?
What if it was coming back – to yourself?

Why Walking Works

The science is clear (and if you’ve been hanging out here long enough, you’ll know I love a bit of science).

Walking lowers cortisol – that’s your main stress hormone – and boosts serotonin and endorphin.

It improves sleep, lifts mood, clears brain-fog, and re-sets the system.

But we don’t really need the science to tell us this, do we?
We feel it.

When you’ve been stuck at your desk or arguing with the washing machine or overthinking something ridiculous,
a short walk – five or ten minutes – and suddenly your head clears.
You come back lighter. Softer.
Like the nervous system’s had its walk too.

That’s what I often say – walk your nervous system.
It’s the most loyal dog you’ll ever own.
It just needs letting out every now and then.

From Automatic to Aware

Now, here’s where things get even more interesting.
Walking is already good for us. But we can use it as a deeper relaxation practice.

Usually when we walk, we’re still trapped in the cloud — the constant mental noise:
To-do lists. Regrets. Conversations replaying. The whole storm.

So what if, instead of walking in the cloud, we learned to walk through it?

Try this:
Next time you’re walking, bring your awareness to one of three anchors:

• Your senses. Notice what you see, hear, smell, or feel.
• Your body. Particularly your feet — the rhythm, the texture, the pressure of each step.
• Your ‘feeling tone’. Ask quietly: “Do I like this? Don’t like this? Or am I neutral?”

That’s it.
That gentle noticing clears the cloud.
You don’t fight the thoughts. You just bring light to them – and they naturally drift away.

Gratitude for the Mind

An important note: we’re not trying to make the mind wrong here.
Your brain is extraordinary – it’s doing its best to protect, predict, and plan.
So when it gets busy, instead of shouting “shut up!”, try saying “thanks”.
Then bring your attention back to your feet, your breath, your surroundings.

As the Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said,

“Don’t just do something. Sit there”…
or go for a walk.

Relax Whilst Walking – something you can try

Here’s a simple version to try today:
As you walk, bring your attention first to your feet – feel the heel lift, the roll, the touch of ground.
Then shift to what you can hear – birds, breeze, traffic, silence.
Then ask: “Pleasant? Unpleasant? Neutral?”

And whatever the answer, say:

“It’s okay to like it.” or “It’s okay not to like it.”

You can become a Relaxer, too.

Join The Relaxers with me, John C. Parkin, and get more of this, on a deeper level, every single month. Click Here to Become a Relaxer

Listen to The Relaxers Podcast here: https://the-relaxers.podbean.com/