by Abby Hinchcliffe, HR Assistant/ Uni Student, Goonellabah, Australia
I work full-time and have been studying part-time for the last five years. I have had my ups and downs and often feel overwhelmed by how much there is to do at home, at work and with my studies… it has been easy for me to feel bogged down with life.
Last week I had a sleepover at a friend’s house who happens to be a student of Universal Medicine – I am too. My friend is in the routine of waking up early and going for quite a long walk; it takes over an hour and has a lot of steps. I decided to give it a go and see what it was like.
Let me tell you now, I am not as fit as I once was. I could feel when the walk became tough (on the uphill parts), I wanted to hunch my shoulders, put my head down and push through the pain: this is how I have been with life, pushing myself to get through. On my walk, when I felt myself beginning to do this I decided to lift my head, relax my shoulders and take it easy. It was so lovely to connect with the day in this way before work – and see so many other people enjoy their mornings also.
For the rest of the day I felt more motivated at work and at home. I was sore the next day – I was feeling places in my body I hadn’t felt for a long time.
I have been walking every 2nd day since and I really look forward to it: after just 3 walks I noticed the uphill struggles are less intense. I am more organised at work and with my studies. It is easier to not over-eat. I am enjoying my own company and feel more enthusiastic towards life and others, plus this rash I have had on my upper arms for the past 2 years has almost cleared… so cool!
Serge Benhayon mentioned once that it is great to go for long walks when you study or use your mind a lot. I agree!
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
So cool. Developing a rhythm in walking every day brings a rhythm and flow to every other activity during the day.
Thank you for the inspiration Abby to commit to walking and that we are worth making this time for ourselves with significant ripple effects into all aspects of life and bringing us back to our physical body and awareness.
Thank you Abby for sharing the power of walking. I love to walk in the mornings to confirm my loving presence in my body and to embody the purpose of living in connection to truth. I also love how no walk is ever the same, as with every walk we take we walk with a slightly different purpose depending what is needed to be cleared, embodied or confirmed at the time.
Carola, yes each walk can be very different. Today when I walked I noticed that my body was asking to be much more gentle and to pause and observe everything around me much more deeply than before. When I starting trying to do it the way I had before or judged that I was going too slow, there was a hardness that entered my body. Letting go of any pictures or expectations for how a walk should be and surrendering to what the body needs each day and moment is very precious and something for me to work with accepting much more. Thank you for sharing your connection with purpose when you walk.
Beautiflul Abby – a great reflection of truth for the world.
Great advice about long walks if you use your mind a lot. On the surface a walk doesn’t seem like it does much except to move the body, yet it can feel like it re-organises every part of me, mental, emotional, physical and my inner being, so everything feels more ordered again.
Going for a walk is a great way to clear my mind especially when I have been working for hours and to reconnect to my body.
Walking has a way of getting the body back into its natural flow and rhythm – a great tool that supports me to get out of my head and heavy thoughts and back into what it feels like to be in my body, that then connects me to everything else.
I like how you were able to observe yourself and then make a choice to let go and relax your body more. Simple, and something we can do in every moment.
You make a great point here, Abby. Walking and letting our body be and taking it easy, and not pushing ourselves to get through whatever we are trying to get through – is a great way to connect and support our body. Walking is a part of my commuting and I can really use it to build my connection, or go head first, already getting anxious about the day ahead and exhausting myself even before getting to the office.
I love what you have written here Abby, because I work long hours during the day, I am studying and also have a very full life outside of those activities too, so I find walking incredibly therapeutic, yet it is the first that falls off at the beginning of each day when I get busy. So reading your blog has been very inspiring!!
I appreciate the advice Abby. I use a lot of mental activity in my industry and know the benefits of walking. I just might extend them for longer. Thank you.
I agree Abby I love to walk as well it is part of my daily medicine; it is such a simple choice that rewards you back in so many ways.
It’s amazing how quickly the body builds strength and fitness with just a small amount of exercise. Investing in ourselves is definitely the way to go. Even though I have had those same effects from exercise I still experience deep resistance to doing my daily routine – yet I always feel amazing afterwards! Even though my whole body and emotional and mental wellbeing improves there is still part of me that doesn’t want to do it. To me this is a great example of the human spirit and how it operates individually and without regard to the whole.
I often question whether I really need to go for a walk, whether I can fit it in today – but I’m yet to regret actually going for a walk. Reconnecting to my body through moving gently while walking clears my mind and reminds me of a greater purpose to life than whatever task I’ve lost myself in.
I know walking is one of the greatest supports for me but I can get into a habit of not making time for it in my day – to the detriment of both my physical and mental health. Not to mention the well-known fact that going for a walk will always blow the ‘cobwebs’ away (which to me means the build up of mental complication).
Deeply inspired by this Abby Hinchcliffe, thank-you. My own walking routine has lessened of late, and I have been committing to bringing it back with more consistent regularity. My body loves (if not needs!) it, and absolutely, it always allows time for contemplation, appreciation, and simply expanding into the larger space around me.
There’s nothing like viewing the ocean, sky and mountain ranges in the view, when one has been working in more enclosed spaces, often with many hours on a computer…
Walking and exercising gently are a huge support for me. I find that if I let these parts go and miss doing either one or the other that straight away I can feel less commitment in how I live. It is truly remarkable how once a commitment to something falters, that it influences every part of how we live.
I love to walk. We are blessed to have a wonderful country park nearby and there is nothing better that to take the dog and walk in nature, up quite a big hill, give my body a workout at the same time – and yes, it is something that changes how I feel every time. Walking in nature is a very beautiful and self-loving thing to do.
I can’t believe how easy it is to forget the benefits of such a simple choice and the support that walking can offer our body and mind. I love that you blog is like a gentle tap on the shoulder to remind me of the power of committing to myself again in this way and embracing all that it can offer.
I don’t have a routine myself, but find a walk can be of huge support when needing to express and/or snap out of a mood
Thank you Abby for sharing, I have only been taking short walks lately because of not feeling so well, but now feel its time to do more longer walks, I love the early morning with the sun coming up and the birds singing.
Thankyou Abby, taking time for ourselves is so essential, and there are many benefits to walking. I always feel better physically, emotionally and mentally from walking, it’s great to observe nature and leave the confines of my very busy mind! Great inspiration to walk more regularly.
I totally agree Abby that walking helps to get me out of my head. After a heavy day at work if I go for a walk afterwards or even in my lunch break just to walk nowhere in particular (no goal or image of where I need to be or where would be interesting to explore) but just walking with me it feels like I have a spring clean out of my head and I feel much lighter afterwards.
I love what you have shared Abby as it showed how easy it is to take care for oneself and what an effect it can have on our health – this is very inspirational!
What a great reminder Abby. I use my mind a lot but have not been for long walks for a while, though I’ve been feeling to. Time to start again.
It makes total sense that gentle exercise makes a great counter for a lot of mental activity – it brings you back into your feet and on the ground, a great way to connect to your body!
Going for walks whilst being present with your body is a great therapy and something I do almost every day since I have been introduced to Unviersal Medicine. Previous to that I did not consider walking as exercise, but now I can feel the difference it makes to the body and the mind and it does build strength and even aerobic capacity.
Going for a walk and connecting to your movements, nature and the people you meet is an opportunity for appreciation and preparation for whatever is coming towards you.
Walking is such a beautiful way to reconnect with oneself. Why do we think we are too busy to schedule a walk into our day when it offers so many benefits.
A particularly poignant read after I’ve been studying all day and it’s now too dark for a walk. Your blog is a timely reminder to create space in the day to put the body’s needs equal to work, to maintain vitality and perspective.
An inspiring short read and a great reminder of the benefits to our work, our eating, sleeping and general state of mind when we make time for a daily walk. Life is somehow always calmer and flows more easily when there’s been a walk in it.
Thank you for your very simple sharing, I agree having daily walks has so many benefits, some apparent and some not so apparent.
I wonder how our current way of sporting is going to change in the future – or I should say, I wonder how quick it will change! Because change it will, out bodies are not made for straining.
Thanks Abby – I can relate to what you have written. I love my morning walks and find the time spent enjoying the quiet of the early morning and being around nature very soothing and that it’s a great way to set up my day. I have also found that it really does help to clear some of the accumulated mental energy, not to mention that it helps me maintain a degree of fitness. I am now working on refining my walking more by keeping a check on how my body is feeling as I move and adjusting my pace and rhythm accordingly.
Yes, I agree, a walk around the block is just perfect to bring the whole day into perspective.
What a perfectly timed blog for me to check in on today. I have so much work to do I wonder how on earth it is possible to get it done, and yet I have been walking a bit more and paying attention to how my body feel whenever I walk anywhere. That means from my desk to the bathroom or to and from the station and when I walked to the train this afternoon I could feel the pace I had let come into my body from my day. Because I have felt how it is to walk without that stress it really stood out which was such a great reminder to myself to not take it home, to bring my body back as I walked to be more detached and simply enjoy the walk.
I felt and appreciated this message too Monicag2 – there is no need to brace ourselves and push through life like one big battle. Abby’s walk proves that we can take it at our own pace, stop when we need to and regather how we feel. Our bodies are divinely made to deal with what it needs to in each moment, we just need to be with them, surrendered.
Actually – my partner and I took a short walk on the beach yesterday morning before work, hand in hand, arms around each other or striding solo we soaked up the sun and loved having our feet in the water. We talk about doing this all the time and finally made the choice to get out there and greet the day together. Last night we spoke of our days, which were noticeably different for us both – we were more chirpy, playful, awake and connected. It was so great to hear that and confirm it for each other – we are meeting again in an hours time to do it again 🙂
What a fantastic testimony for walking – I am sold!
I have plenty of time in the mornings to take myself for a walk – yet I purposely sleep in so this time is limited. My body knows and tells me loud and clear how beneficial walking can be for me and I can resist this to find many excuses not to go…’I haven’t got the right outfit or the path isn’t long enough etc’. Feels great to nominate these things, see how silly they sound and make space so the inspiration to walk can be expressed through my feet.
How quickly your working day changed once you began to include walking, Abby. I have noticed the difference too, when I walk I feel light and the day flows, when I don’t walk my body feels heavier.
This is lovely Abby. If I can allow myself to just be in my body and with my movements as I walk and not in my head, it feels great… it supports my sense of connection to myself and everything around me including the magic of nature.
Abby I agree that choosing to go on a walk is so supportive for our bodies. I notice a different flow in my day when I have chosen a walk to start it!
When the pressure of work starts to build up there is nothing I like more than to step outside and go for a short walk, connecting back to myself with each step, and watching the birds and the butterflies as they walk with me too.
So true – if I push myself in my walk, tension builds up quickly and it becomes a real hard work and struggle; but if I pay attention to my body and how it is feeling, even when I am feeling tired, the walk feels very nurturing and energizing. It is very inspiring to read how you have made this a commitment and allocate time for this specifically and enjoying the increased vitality and the quality of the day that follows. Thank you for sharing, Abby.
Cool, I am going to study part time soon, so I will practice going for longer walks and see how I benefit from it. Thank you for sharing your experience, without it, I wouldn’t have known this by now.
When walking with presence and without mind chatter, a walk can be so much more than a walk – it can be a healing session.
I love going for a walk in the morning, feeling the stillness of the day before the busyness starts and enjoying the freshness of the morning air. A beautiful foundation for the start of the day.
I also enjoy going for long walks when I have the time, especially if I have been sitting at a desk for awhile to helps me to re-connect and I always feel much clearer and lighter afterwards. Thanks for the inspiration Abby I am feeling it’s time for a long walk in the morning.
So often I see people avoiding exercise, myself included. But there has never, ever ever been a time when I have regretted or wished I didn’t go for my walk. I always come back revitalised, clearer and stronger, without a doubt. The walk isn’t the problem, the commitment is.
In the past I was not one for exercise but since getting into the routine of walking once a day I love it! Even if say I am sitting at the computer and start feeling heavy or disturbed, just getting up and walking (even if it’s just in the kitchen) helps clear those feelings. Walking with myself, walking with God, walking in frustration all feel different and it’s great to be aware of how we are walking because then it shows me that I can change how I walk and if I got that it changes how I feel. It may not be flashy or trendy as other ‘sports’ or movements but the results that come when focusing on how we walk are hugely powerful.
A simple walk is definitely rejuvenating and in so many ways can clear the cobwebs of any repetitive and distracting thought patterns to allow the clarity for me to observe the goings on in my life with fresh eyes, and effectively gives me a fresh start to my day.
ps Abby, your blog has really inspired me to appreciate the simple walk all the more, thank you.
I definitely find a walk can be great when I have been stuck with mental activity whirling around my head. A walk often clears the calculations and cognitive process that can be so exhausting, it is an activity I continue to explore and be amazed by its healing qualities. And to think I used to find walking boring.
I often walk with my dog and have usually done those walks for the dog. Lately I have been doing the walks for both of us connecting more to myself and with the dog. I agree walks can be great for a busy mind, when I feel this way I think about how my feet are touching the ground and how I am breathing.
I went for a long walk on the weekend and it felt amazing during and after the walk. I need to get back into walking again. Thank you Abby for the lovely reminder.
Walking as part of my starts to each morning has for me become essential, if it’s missed it feels as if I’m leaving the house without brushing my teeth. It is the perfect gauge to check in with my body and how its calling to be moved.
Thank you Abby for sharing your walk with us, I find myself putting it off sometimes in the morning, to a later time in the day, but then I find this does not always happen. I will be looking at making my walk a priority in the mornings.
Thanks Abby for a beautiful reminder of how supportive a simple thing like walking can be for the body.
Gorgeous Abby. I too enjoy walking in the mornings. For me it is a beautiful opportunity to return to or confirm my presence in movement whist connecting with nature. And I always walk away with more of an expansion than I began with.
Beautiful Abby! I have also discovered so many great things about life and myself walking! It is so simple an action, but amazing what someone with awareness can get out of it. There is so much room to be playful!!
Thank you for your shared experience- I love walking and other exercise as well 🙂
Awesome Abby, I feel inspired to begin walking again, but this time with me!
Thank you Abby Hinchcliffe, for your sharing about the potency walking has to support us not only in our daily routines and tasks, but also in the way we take care for ourselves like how we eat and drink. I can enjoy walking as well and I can feel the joy in my body when I allow it to walk, as if my body knows that walking is bringing me back on my tracks, every time I walk consciously with myself I allow my body to restructure itself to what it knows is the truth.
Abby, such a simple reminder – that I’ve rediscovered myself recently too. The feeling of having not had time for me during the work day lessens when you start the day in such a way. It allows space and therefore what comes after that also feels more spacious. Also, it’s wonderful at firing-up for a big day and reduces lactic acid build-up. It’s just a great thing to do for ourselves full stop.
I find walking super supportive too, even if it’s just walking for a while on a treadmill, it helps me clear my mind and reconnect with my whole body.
I love going for walks, I feel it helps clear my mental chatter, and helps to brings me back to me.
The benefits of walking are so profound and particularly I find when my mind is overrun with thoughts, it just has a great way of clearing out all the junk that clutters my head. It is amazing how a simple activity that costs nothing can be so good for us.
I feel that going for walks is a great way to clear out any mental cobwebs and re-connect with my body. Whenever I feel too ‘heady’ and start getting a little worried or stressed, I go for a walk, not to fix anything, but to just let myself be and feel myself walking and enjoying the natural surroundings, listening and observing. This works like magic, and I feel your article is a great reminder, Abby, of how simple, yet profound walking truly is.
A great simple choice to exercise more, it can often be a struggle to get ourselves active but the benefits when we do are so profound. It is a lovely reminder Abby of how supportive walking can be, it almost feels like walking can iron out all the little problems we face and give us a refreshed perspective on life.
Simple, succinct and a great reminder of how a walk in morning reflects onto your day, thank you Abby
My experience is the same – when too much goes on in the grey mass between my ears, taking myself out on a walk somehow simplifies things – makes it all more grounding and not so racy. What also amazes me is how something as simple as going for a walk can affect our lives so greatly.
A simple walk is a great way to start the day with you, you also showed how we walk can reflect how we live… thanks Abby.
Thanks Abby, very inspiring 😀
I agree a simple morning walk can have huge effects, thanks Abby.
Hi Abby, many thanks for your inspiring words. I find that the cold, dark England mornings make it hard to do the get-up-early-and-go-for-a-walk routine, although I know several of my fellow students do it regularly. What I choose to do regularly is go for a 15 minute walk along the main paths in the forest where I work, just before my shift starts. It’s easy to do, I just leave for work 15 minutes earlier. When I’m off and it’s a beautiful day, I love going for a longer walk in the lanes near where I live – the views are stunning across the fields, and the birds in the hedgerows sing along my way. It’s a delight to do and great for simply feeling and being with the body.
So simple and very inspiring, thank you Abby.
Go for it Abby!
This is awesome and you have inspired me to walk this morning, thank you.
Thanks for this Abby, a lovely reminder of how something so simple can support so much. I hadn’t been walking much for a while through winter (too cold, too windy). Now the early mornings are warmer I have begun walking more consistently again and I agree with you, I am finding that my actual day flows better, it seems like there is more space in it, my body feels freer and I feel more connected myself and to life. I love that you have reminded me that its great to go for long walks when you study or you use your mind a lot- I needed to hear that!
Thank you Abby!