After reading about “awe walks” I decided to give it a try. This mindful walking meditation provided the perfect opportunity to experience calming presence.

Last week I read an article by the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) promoting “awe walks” as a way to find wonder and inspiration during a simple walk. I was intrigued at the idea of practicing mindfulness while also walking in nature. Our amazing Arizona weather provided the perfect opportunity to take my own awe walk around a nearby lake. It was impressive to view an otherwise routine walk through a different lens. Given the right mindset, you can experience calming presence with a mindful awe walk.

What the heck is an awe walk?

When we sat down to dinner on Friday, I was excited to tell Andrew and the boys about my awe walk experience. When I said, “You guys, I went on an awe walk today, and it was amazing,” no one shared my enthusiasm. I got blank stares and furrowed brows. Granted, when you say “awe walk” out loud, it sounds more like the cousin of an Ewok than a mindful stroll outdoors. It requires some explanation.

According to the GGSC, we experience awe when we have feelings of wonder and inspiration. It’s more likely to occur when we become aware of the vast, transcendent nature of our universe. In other words, we experience awe when we expand our focus from the myopic self to the world around us. It is an open awareness of the small space we occupy in this impressive universe. Essentially, an awe walk is a mindful walk in which you open yourself up to anything beautiful or amazing in your environment.

The value in an awe walk

We know connecting with nature creates calm and enhances well-being. When we open up to the natural world around us, we can also experience a feeling of awe. It gives us an expanded perspective and understanding of our role in something greater than the self. If you’re interested in mindfulness, you probably don’t need much more motivation to try it.

For those skeptics, the GGSC article also included some evidence-based research to back it up.[1] Research shows experiencing awe can do the following:

  • Enhance happiness
  • Improve physical health
  • Decrease feelings of entitlement
  • Increase generosity

Thus, taking an awe walk is a proven way to enhance the significance of your usual walking routine. When you feel more connection and purpose, your mood is improved. You can become less focused on yourself and more focused on those around you.

How to take an awe walk

An awe walk entails walking outdoors and seeking out all the wonder and inspiration in your surroundings. It’s easier to do in a novel, vast environment but can be done anywhere. The most important aspect is your mindset. The GGSC recommends turning off your cell phone and taking several calming breaths to focus your awareness. As you walk, open your senses to everything around you as if it’s your first time experiencing your environment.

Notice as much as you can through all your senses. Think about what you see that you might’ve otherwise missed, such as new patterns, colors, and details. Take deep breaths to take in the smell of the fresh air, dirt, or vegetation. Pause to listen to the changing sounds near and far. Consider tactile sensation like the earth below your feet, movement of your body, sun on your skin, or wind on your cheeks. Each time your mind wanders, take a few more calming breaths and return your attention to one of your senses. Opening yourself up to this awareness can bring delightful surprises.

My awe walk experience

Friday I went on the same walk I’ve been on many times before. So, I didn’t technically fulfill the novelty criteria recommended by the GGSC, but I did go with the recommended mindset. I was impressed with how much of my environment I usually ignore and miss out on. It’s not that I don’t see what’s in my environment, I just don’t give it much attention. This walk was different.

I wanted to give my awe walk my undivided attention, so I did as much as possible to decrease distractions. Scooby had to sit this walk out. Sorry boy! He still requires quite a bit of training and attention while walking, so his presence was not conducive to an awe walk. With kids in school, I had to bring my cell phone, but I turned off all notifications. I walked around the nearby lake, but went in the opposite direction of my usual path to see if I noticed anything new.

The smells, sounds, and sights

The first thing I noticed on my walk, was my neighbor’s bursting citrus blossoms. This time of year, the neighborhood becomes flooded with orange blossoms, one of my favorite scents. I took a minute to stand at my neighbor’s orange tree and really inhale the fragrance. It was amazing. Bruce, my neighbor, happened to come out and see me sniffing his tree. I’m sure he wondered what the hell I was doing in his yard, but it was worth it.

Another thing I noticed was the constant bird chirping. I heard a variety of birds singing and talking throughout my entire walk. At one point, it sounded like two birds were in a tennis match of chirping as I walked through the middle of their back-and-forth conversation. Even when I crossed a street with an idling truck, I could hear birds in the trees around me. And on my way home, a lone goose flew overhead, honking the whole way. The chirping of the birds provided a soundtrack to my walk, one I’ve never noticed before.

When I arrived at the lake, I immediately devoted my attention to the ducks pedaling through the water. They created ripples as they swam along, talking to each other. I walked up to the edge of the water and simply observed them for a while. In this regard, my awe walk took more time than my typical lake walk as I had a more leisurely pace.

A big, fluffy, white duck stopped and stared at me, occasionally quacking. Whereas I would ordinarily glance at this duck and keep moving, I gave it all my attention. I stopped and stared at the bird for some time. That’s when I noticed the perfectly formed beads of water dotting his face. As the sun hit the water beads, they appeared like tiny diamonds buried in his feathers.

I continued walking with awareness, refocusing on my breath each time I noticed my mind wandering. Next, the movement and patterns in the water caught my attention. Being a small, man-made lake, strategically placed fountains keep the water circulating. This created movement in the water I’ve failed to notice in the past. In addition to the concentric circles from the fountains, were v-shaped ripples trailing each duck. The crisscrossing patterns caught the reflection of the sun.

A change in perspective

Multiple times I stopped and turned to face the lake. This ninety-degree turn changed my vantage point and brought new observations. At one point I walked out onto a small dock to witness the lake from a new perspective. I felt the bobbing of the water and heard the creaking of the wood as I watched the resulting ripples in the water. This gave me multiple, brief pauses to reconnect with my surroundings.

I paused and watched the bubbling stream that feeds one lake into the next. I saw the erosion on the river rocks, the bobbing twigs caught between stones, and leaves getting carried to their next destination. I never before noticed the grass and roots at the bottom of the stream, growing in a pattern matching the flow of water. A mature tree at the curve of the stream provided a patchwork of bark patterns to touch. I witnessed a small spider web in the heart-shaped crook where a branch used to grow. I tried to capture these images with my camera, but the photos don’t do it any justice. In the moment, it was truly amazing.

Taking my awe walk provided a novel experience to my routine walk. There was so much going on, a microcosm of activity everywhere I looked. I witnessed an entire universe of life happening under foot and right in front of my eyes. Stopping to see, touch, smell, and hear I was mindful of the universe around me. I probably looked less like a lady exercising, and more like someone who messed up their micro dose of mushrooms. I didn’t care.

Most importantly, I practiced mindfulness and reaped the benefits. My attention was devoted to surprises all around me. It took me away from my typical ruminating thoughts and focused me on something much greater. I was taking in so much of the world around me that I couldn’t focus on worry or anxiety. By the time I came full circle around the lake, I felt like my mind was full, my battery was charged, and it was time to go home. My senses were fatigued, and I didn’t have any more attention to give.

My awe walk provided an additional way to continue working on my Commitment to Calm. During the walk, I felt present to the natural world around me in a way I hadn’t previously. It was as if I experienced the lake for the first time, through a new lens. It reminded me of what I loved most in Erma Bombeck’s If I Had My Life to Live Over. She said if given another opportunity at life, she would “look at it and really see it.” That’s what I did on my awe walk.

I recommend giving it a try! You might be surprised at how much there is to witness, look at, and really see. With the right mindset, you can experience the calming presence of an awe walk.

I’d love to hear about your awe walk experience. Leave me a comment!

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[1] Sturm, V. E., Datta, S., Roy, A. R. K., Sible, I. J., Kosik, E. L., Veziris, C. R., Chow, T. E., Morris, N. A., Neuhaus, J., Kramer, J. H., Miller, B. L., Holley, S. R., & Keltner, D. (2020). Big smile, small self: Awe walks promote prosocial positive emotions in older adults. Emotion.

Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D. M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883-899.