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Eliminate the Noise (or What Happens When I Walk)

One of my (almost) daily habits is taking a walk.  I do this both as physical exercise and as mediation time.  Walking allows me to clear my head and ideas and solutions appear as if by magic.

People often ask me what I listen to when I walk. The short answer is I don’t listen to anything. In fact, to allow walking to work is special ju-ju on me, I have some particular practices that observe that I thought I would share.

1. I don’t listen to music or anything that puts speakers in my ears.

2. I usually don’t walk with a friend.

3. I walk outdoors as often as I can.

Because I don’t drown my senses in noise or distraction, I find that I

a) I pay attention to details.

b) I am fully present with my body and with my environment.

c)  I have a  keener power of internal observation.

d) I actually see things – the person walking down the street, the tree on the corner that’s just started to leaf out, the color of that car that would look great in one of my next blog designs. And if I am lucky, I get the hear the bells from the church in my neighborhood.

And, at least to me, I am a better person because I don’t shut out the world around me.

So my challenge to you is this: the next time you start to turn on your ipod to shut out what is going on around you, don’t. I’ll be curious to know how that unfolds for you. :-)

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 11:37 am and is filed under Uncommon Business, Uncommon Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • http://www.shaboominc.com/blog Molly Gordon

    I’ll take that challenge, and I thank you for it. I’ve become aware that plugging in when I walk not only cuts me off from the world in that moment, but also tends to dull my senses and disengage me long after the walk is over. Silence is golden. This applies to while driving. Some of my best ideas, and many of my sweetest moments, occur when unplugged.

    • Anonymous

      Yay for you Molly! Let me know how it turns out. :-)

  • Anonymous

    Oh, what else is new . . I agree with Sarah!

    I always say “nature is my church” for this very reason. Being in nature, just walking unaccompanied by iPod or human companionship, provides such a profound opportunity to listen on many levels.

    • Anonymous

      hahaha. If I say stuff you agree with I must be smarter than I thought. :-)

  • http://nathalielussier.com Nathalie Lussier

    That’s so awesome. It’s a practice I’m incorporating into my day to day too. I used to be a “must listen to something & be productive” type person… now I’m finding that there’s enough “stuff” in my head, I need the space and silence more than anything else.

    Amazing how things change so fast. :)

    • Anonymous

      Oh man – I totally get the “enough stuff in my head”! It’s loud enough in there without me adding to it. :-)

  • Lorie

    Oh yes!! I do this every morning- I have the distinct pleasure of living close enough to work to be able to walk. I am able to watch the progression of the seasons, hear all the birds and smell all the delightful smells of outside.

    I have thought about an Ipod, but I so enjoy the quiet time. Now I am convinced- I will remain unplugged!

    • Anonymous

      I used to walk to work when I lived in DC. Still miss all those city sights and sounds. Lucky you. :-)

  • http://facebook.com/sociallycongruent Phyllis Khare

    I used to live on the beach, and 20 minutes of walking on the beach was extremely therapeutic and mentally centering. Now I get the same effect by gardening. Both allow me to connect internally and listen to my soul. And the soul has all the answers. Thanks for this post on “active” meditation.

    • Anonymous

      So so true phyllis. :-) Some having the boy moving while I am listening is a magic formula. G

  • Anonymous

    So true. I actually used to listen to my iPod when I walked or ran because I was too overwhelmed by the continuous stream of thoughts in my head. It scared me that I thought that much. It wasn’t until I actually forgot my iPod one day that I realised what a RELIEF it was to let those thoughts run freely.

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  • mollygordon

    I'll take that challenge, and I thank you for it. I've become aware that plugging in when I walk not only cuts me off from the world in that moment, but also tends to dull my senses and disengage me long after the walk is over. Silence is golden. This applies to while driving. Some of my best ideas, and many of my sweetest moments, occur when unplugged.

    • Anonymous

      Yay for you Molly! Let me know how it turns out. :-)

  • LaConsuelo

    Oh, what else is new . . I agree with Sarah!

    I always say “nature is my church” for this very reason. Being in nature, just walking unaccompanied by iPod or human companionship, provides such a profound opportunity to listen on many levels.

    • Anonymous

      hahaha. If I say stuff you agree with I must be smarter than I thought. :-)

  • http://rawfoodswitch.com Nathalie Lussier

    That's so awesome. It's a practice I'm incorporating into my day to day too. I used to be a “must listen to something & be productive” type person… now I'm finding that there's enough “stuff” in my head, I need the space and silence more than anything else.

    Amazing how things change so fast. :)

    • Anonymous

      Oh man – I totally get the “enough stuff in my head”! It’s loud enough in there without me adding to it. :-)

  • Lorie

    Oh yes!! I do this every morning- I have the distinct pleasure of living close enough to work to be able to walk. I am able to watch the progression of the seasons, hear all the birds and smell all the delightful smells of outside.

    I have thought about an Ipod, but I so enjoy the quiet time. Now I am convinced- I will remain unplugged!

    • Anonymous

      I used to walk to work when I lived in DC. Still miss all those city sights and sounds. Lucky you. :-)

  • http://phylliskhare.com phylliskhare

    I used to live on the beach, and 20 minutes of walking on the beach was extremely therapeutic and mentally centering. Now I get the same effect by gardening. Both allow me to connect internally and listen to my soul. And the soul has all the answers. Thanks for this post on “active” meditation.

    • Anonymous

      So so true phyllis. :-) Some having the boy moving while I am listening is a magic formula. G

  • QuarterlifeEran

    So true. I actually used to listen to my iPod when I walked or ran because I was too overwhelmed by the continuous stream of thoughts in my head. It scared me that I thought that much. It wasn't until I actually forgot my iPod one day that I realised what a RELIEF it was to let those thoughts run freely.