Birmingham native Dana Jaffe is an experienced writer, editor, hiker, and meditator based in Asheville, N.C.

Hiking and meditation are both integral parts of my personal wellness routine. With mindfulness practice and time in nature being my favorite ways to get calm and centered, learning how to merge the two activities has been rewarding. I have found that combining physical activity, beautiful scenery, and meditation can be really nourishing — for the mind, the heart, and the body.

If you are interested in being outdoors while meditating, here are some tips for how to hike more mindfully:

What is walking meditation

When you first picture meditation, you likely imagine being in a seated position. But walking meditation is also a long-standing part of Buddhist tradition. You can use the phrase — lift, move, place — to pay attention to each step that you take.

In essence, instead of the breath, you are using your steps as an anchor to stay present in the moment. Of course, you can do this at any time during your hike, but often I prefer to be a bit more intentional.

Since I am frequently hiking with a companion, I typically like to set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes, let them know what I will be doing, and ask if they would like to join.

One additional note: If you try this, be sure to have comfortable hiking footwear — you do not want the aches and pains of ill-fitting shoes to interfere with an otherwise fruitful meditation session.

Use nature to bring mindfulness principles alive

One of the most helpful tips I learned early in my mindfulness practice involved a nature metaphor. The key concept: thoughts and feelings are just like clouds passing through the sky. Our goal is to learn to let them come and go without judgment or attachment. The same metaphor would be applicable to watching the ebb and flow of a river.

At times, the current may be rapid and moments later, it may be still and calm — much like our minds. I have often sat on a boulder mid-hike and looked at the clouds or by the river with this metaphor in my mind.

Pay attention to your senses

Part of really arriving in the present moment is paying attention to our five senses. In nature, this may mean the sight of the sun on our skin, the sound of our feet hitting the crunchy leaves, or the feeling of the weight of a backpack on our shoulders.

You can combine this with a noting practice —  just naming what thoughts, emotions, body sensations, sounds, sights, etc. are coming up. For example, your inner dialogue might look like this: worry, birds chirping, gratitude, tall trees, heart beating. People often fear they aren’t meditating right if their mind is all over the place, but that is far from true.

My favorite simple definition of mindfulness is: being with what is happening while it is happening, which is exactly what you will be doing with this technique.

Take a mindful pause

So often we hike for miles and miles, get to the end of the trail, and turn right back around. One way to soak up the beauty is to make it a habit to meditate when you reach the top of the mountain or the waterfall nestled in the forest.

For a super long hike, finding a log or a boulder to use for a seated meditation can be the perfect excuse to catch your breath. Be sure to wear comfortable pants that allow you to sit in a traditional meditation pose.

Many of the techniques I have described here are ones that I have learned from my favorite mindfulness app. Buddhify actually has an entire category of walking meditations with guided sessions ranging from five to 15 minutes. It is a great tool for those looking for ideas on how to combine hiking and meditation. 

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