Sunday 2 October 2016

Mindful walking with any camera

Does the change in season from summer to fall excite or depress you? Sure, the days are shorter and the air cooler, with winter just around the corner but I suggest you embrace it. That's what I did this morning when I woke up with an anxious pit it in my stomach with no explanation why, except the usual mix of what seems like a million items on my to-do list and my favourite energizing season - summer-slipping away. So I put on my jacket and headed out for a walk, but instead of my usual camera I only had my cell phone to take pictures. It doesn't matter what kind of camera you have, just get out there and get inspired. When you take this walk mindfully and meditatively, you just notice what is around you and experience it all fully. Hear the crunch of fallen leaves under your feet. See the vivid colours of the changing colours on the trees, feel the warmth of the sunlight on your face, yet a cool crispness to the air as you breathe deeply.  Once again, as with other explorations with my camera, worries dissipate, mood lifts, I am able to be mindful of and enjoy each moment and I hope it will for you as well. Taking your camera, or the one on your cell phone, for a walk outside, shifts your focus from the worries in your head, the pit in your stomach, and more towards what you see, hear, and feel around you. This can be meditative, which in effect helps to calm that worried mind.