Happiness Break: Walk Your Way to Calm, with Dacher Keltner

A few slow, mindful paces can lower your cortisol and make you more at ease. Psychologist Dacher Keltner guides you through this Walking Meditation.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5cxymy8e

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a relatively peaceful space that allows you to walk back and forth for 10-15 paces, where you won’t be disturbed or observed.

2. Begin to walk forward slowly, lifting one foot first, then placing it gently on the floor or ground ahead of you, heel first. Notice your weight shift as you lift your back heel, then the whole foot, and then place it down heel first in front of your first foot. Walk 10-15 paces this way, then reverse directions.

3. As you walk, try to focus your attention on one or more sensations that you would normally take for granted, like your breath, the movement of your feet and legs, or how the pressure on the bottom of each foot shifts throughout each step.

4. If you notice your mind wandering, simply bring it back to noticing those sensations, without judgment.

5. Repeat this practice as often as you’d like, ideally for at least 10 minutes twice a week.

Find the full Walking Meditation practice at our Greater Good in Action website:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/walking_meditation

More resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center:

• How to Cultivate Awe With a Walking Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/yckz7hu8

• How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2u6rfzhb

• Can Meditation Help You with Depression? https://tinyurl.com/3ny8jjhj

• A Walk in the Park: https://tinyurl.com/58v6d9k2

• Why You Should Take a Relaxing Lunch Break: https://tinyurl.com/8kckdhmx

• How Resting More Can Boost Your Productivity: https://tinyurl.com/2p97yfff

• Four Tips for Sticking to a Meditation Practice: https://tinyurl.com/5b22pynt

Tell us how this walking meditation made you feel by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd

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We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each bi-weekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.