Mindfulness walk, Great indoors badge

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Description

Head outside, take a deep breath, and pay attention to the moment as you practise mindfulness and connect to the natural world.
Enjoy being outside, feel comfortable in nature, and feel connected to the natural environment.

First suggested by 40th Rochdale Scouts

Resources

You will need:

Backpack
Snacks
Pens or pencils
A4 paper

Safety checklist -

Use the Safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional coronavirus-related controls to think about may include:

-Make sure that everyone knows the plan for dropping young people off (and picking them up again).
-Set up a hand washing station that you can use throughout the session. If you’re on the move, hand sanitiser may be useful.
-Make sure everyone brings their own kit including snacks and drinks to avoid sharing.
-Make sure everyone stays two metres apart while you’re walking.
-Choose a route that avoids busy areas if you can.

Instructions

Prepare to explore:

The person leading the activity should choose a peaceful place to walk and plan a route that includes all of the mindfulness letters.
Have a look at the mindfulness letters below: you can do some of them as you walk, but you’ll need to pause and do the others while you take a break.
Everyone should pack a bag with everything they need for their walk: a drink, snack, and pen and paper.
People may need to bring some extra things depending on what you’re doing for each of the mindfulness letters: let them know if they’ll need anything else. Make sure you have a first aid kit and remind yourself of the information about first aid in getting everyone back together safely.
Everyone should arrive dressed for the weather.
Don’t forget to check the forecast to be prepared for any changes.

Go on a mindfulness walk:

The person leading the activity should explain that mindfulness is all about paying attention to the moment in a non-judgemental way. It can help people connect to their bodies and can also reduce stress.
For more on mindfulness and self-care, check out How to be kind to yourself.
Everyone should head out on their walk, following the route and listening to the person leading the activity as they explain each of the mindfulness letters.

At the end of their walk, everyone should think about which activities helped them relax and feel connected to the world around them. Could they fit any of the things they did into their day-to-day lives?

S - is for scenery
Find a spot to sit with an interesting view.
Paint, draw, or illustrate the landscape. Take the time to look at the shapes, colours, and textures that make up what you can see.
If the weather’s not great, you could take a photo or make a quick sketch to finish off at home.

C - is for collecting
As you walk, collect natural items that you could use to create some kind of art to remind you of your mindfulness walk. Don’t pick anything up unless you’re sure it’s safe – check with an adult if you’re not sure. Don’t take anything from living plants.
You could create art at the end of your walk or when you get home. (leaf picture)
For more inspiration, check out Leaf animals, Park life portraits, and Feel the view. These activities were written before coronavirus, so you’ll need to adapt them to work socially distanced.

O - is for offline observation
Phones are great – they help us stay in touch with friends, capture memories, and even find our way from A to B. They’re also important to have on a walk in case there’s an emergency. At the same time, phones can stop us paying attention to the world around us.
Most of us have been using screens more than ever before over the past few months. Try to walk a section of your route without using phones (or any other technology with screens). Does it feel different?
Find a place to stop for a few moments. Be totally still and silent and watch the world go by – did you see anything you’d have missed if you were rushing past or looking at a screen? (Maybe do a leaf or bark rubbing!)

U - is for unwind
As you walk, spend some time enjoying each other’s company. It can feel like there’s a lot to worry about at the moment, so it’s important to do things that take care of your well-being.
Chat with your friends, find a space for some basic yoga poses, stretches or share some things that have made you smile recently.

T - is for textures
During the walk, take the time to notice the different textures around you.
How does the ground feel underneath your feet? Is it hard or soft? Are the lumps and bumps? What sound do you make when you move?
What about nature – can you feel the crunch of a leaf or the smoothness of a stone? Make sure people don’t touch things others have already touched and wash or sanitise your hands often.

Reflection:
This activity gave everyone the chance to value the outdoors. How was this different from other walks or hikes people may have been on before? Did people interact with nature differently? Perhaps people noticed different things or used their senses differently. How did being connected to the natural environment make people feel?

Hopefully, it also boosted people’s wellbeing. Which of the letters did people find most useful for boosting their wellbeing? Perhaps some people found it really helpful to collect things along the way while others enjoyed unwinding. How could people use some of the things they tried in their day-to-day lives? Everyone could think about how they could spend some time offline observing or unwinding, for example.

Mindfulness walk, Great indoors badge

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