Fresno Mindfulness Walks are Saturday morning opportunities for people to walk together for a 4 mile route through a different Fresno neighborhood each week, with the goal of discovering all neighborhoods. I’m inviting people to get out of their usual routes and social circles and walk to observe all of Fresno, to experiences places and circumstances that are outside of one’s normal routine.
I started mindfully walking different Fresno neighborhoods in May 2014 because of my own search for mental calmness and exercise, and to increase my understanding of the complexities of Fresno. I have mapped and documented the walks at www.fresnomindfulnesswalks.org and on the Facebook page Fresno Mindfulness Walks. Since then I have walked 171, four-mile routes (684 miles), and hundreds of walkers have joined me for one walk or many. See the Google Maps on the FMW website with pins marking each route that include links to photo albums and written reflections.
Each walk has this assignment: breathe, walk, observe, discover.
We walk without talking to each other. When walkers are freed from holding a conversation, senses are awakened to the sights, sounds, smells, touch, and feelings of neighborhoods. FMWalkers report mental calmness and clarity, reduced anxiety, and both personal and community insights.
After the walk, we come together for a few minutes to share our observations. Walkers describe details they notice, what was new to them, and how their assumptions are challenged; and walkers learn from the observations of each other.
The benefits of walking mindfully include peace of mind, exercise, and a deeper understanding of your community. As understanding increases about all of Fresno, walkers are inspired to use that understanding to participate in ways that improve the well-being of people throughout the city. By walking in close proximity to our entire city of neighbors, empathy grows, along with the realization that all of our lives and futures are tied together.
There’s no non-profit organization or formal program. I like to say that FMW takes no money and no permission — it’s just me, a website, and a Facebook page. I post the walk location and exact start time just a few days in advance.
Walks are free, require no RSVP, and anyone is welcome to join one walk or many.
LOGISTICS: To learn about Saturday morning walks, sign up on FMW website to receive a weekly walk email and/or LIKE and follow the FMW Facebook page. Weekly walks are about 4 miles and take about an hour and a half. Walks are at a medium pace, often on uneven ground, and sometimes take longer than expected because walkers see themselves as curious travelers lingering to observe or going around a different way. When using Fresno Mindfulness Walks photos in printed or on-line messaging or publications, please reference Fresno Mindfulness Walks as the source, and notify [email protected].
Lori Clanton
Lucky leader to the tribe of Fresno Mindfulness Walkers
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