Tag: Mindful sauntering

Mindful Sauntering

It is widely accepted that walking – especially in green or blue spaces – is good for our mental and physical wellbeing. It is also widely accepted that mindful activities where we slow down and allow ourselves to be more focused on the present moment are also good for our wellbeing.

And yet, we can still need a purpose or a stimulus to get us into such activities.

A few years ago I organised a series of what I called ‘mindful sauntering’. In essence this was a gentle walk early in the morning out in the beauty of Richmond Park. The walk began with the reading of a poem or a prayer to provide food for thought, after which we walked in silence. Returning, we then shared thoughts that had come to us we had walked. The whole finished with coffee and pastries in a local cafe. 

I used the word ‘sauntering’ because there is the suggestion* that a saunterer was a person walking to the Holy Land – sainte terre in French. From this it seems a small step to view sauntering as a form of holy or blessed walking. 

These mindful saunters were not much more than an hour in length and usually less to allow time for coffee. In a sense a mini pilgrimage. 

See as an example –  https://greentau.org/2026/04/20/mindful-sauntering-high-as-the-heavens/

• https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/566445/etymological-origin-and-earliest-recorded-occurrence-of-saunter-in-english