Walking in the Rain: Setting Out on Two Feet Can Lead to Wonderful Journeys of the Mind

Getting lost and feeling found...

＂I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.＂ John Muir, John of the Mountains

Walking is medicine for the mind. It helps us slow down and think things through. It also helps us perk up and generate new ideas. There are few activities as readily available and revitalising as a brisk walk, or as soothing and stimulating as a long walk. Discover the wonderful things that can happen when you set out on two feet.

Studies show a strong link between the mental state while walking and innovative ideas or strokes of insight. From Aristotle’s strolls with his students to Steve Jobs’s famous walking meetings, walking not only inspires creativity but also attention, presence and perspective. Taking your mind for a walk nourishes connection with yourself, it allows exploration of the self and the world around us and invigorates all of our senses.

Walk to welcome the day
＂An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.＂ - Henry David Thoreau

Walk to get some perspective
＂I’d walk and think about my entire life. I’d find my strength again, far from everything that had made my life ridiculous.＂ - Cheryl Strayed

Walk to become more present
＂Suddenly I came out of my thoughts to notice everything around me again-the catkins on the willows, the lapping of the water, the leafy patterns of the shadows across the path.＂ - Rebecca Solnit