How to supercharge your winter walk

Winter may be a time of darker days and colder weather, but when we embrace it there are so many small pleasures and moments of comfort to be found.

The season is the perfect time to rest and recuperate, as well as taking care of our body and mind through getting outside.

Sometimes a winter walk is about what is no longer there – birds, flowers, leaves, and sunshine. But with this absence comes more opportunity to pay attention to what is there.

Empty bird nests are visible, trees take on new forms, revealing their skeletal structure, the north wind shifts from dynamic to ferocious, and of course, snow can descend with a whisper or a clumpy onslaught.

But under the slush, frost, and ice await the first tendrils and promises of spring, and we know that dark days will eventually surrender to the return of light.

Here are some ways you can harness the cold and dark to boost your wellbeing.

Kinhin, or walking meditation, is a practice in Zen Buddhism that involves walking mindfully and slowly. Wrap up warm first.

1. Find a location to walk without distractions. It should be a place where you will not draw attention to yourself, especially if you are outdoors. Make sure the path you have chosen is fairly easy, so that you can focus on just walking, not navigation.
2. Become conscious of your breath (but do not control it) as you begin walking slowly and deliberately. Notice the rise and fall of your chest, and the feeling of the air as it enters and leaves your lungs. Perhaps it slows to the point of synchronising with your steps.
3. Feel the entire motion of your footfall, from your heel touching the ground to your toe rising, as your weight shifts. Then the next step, and the next.
4. Your pace should be slow enough that you can remain aware of each step and breath. Now, move even more slowly…
5. Be aware of your body. As you walk, pay attention to your posture and your body’s alignment. Keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. All the while, notice the sensations in your feet as they contact the ground and your breath in unison.
6. Be compassionate and patient with yourself. Your mind will wander, and when it does, gently bring it back to your breath or your body.
7. After walking for a while at the slowest pace possible, you can adjust your speed to fit your level of comfort. Zen kinhin usually begins almost impossibly slowly (especially if you are a city dweller who is used to walking fast) and then can pick up to a comfortable, brisk, or even fast pace.
8. There is no set time for kinhin, which is another reason why it is easy to adapt to walking outdoors, even in winter. You can practise for as long as you like.

When breathing outdoors during the winter – inhaling cold air and exhaling clouds – we are reminded that our breath is not merely an idea or concept, but physical and made up of gases and vapour.

Seeing our breath on a cold day makes us more conscious of the many ways that breathing is a spiritual experience. It seems apt that the word “spiritual” is derived from the ecclesiastical Latin, spiritualis, which means not only “pertaining to spirit” but interestingly “of or pertaining to breath, breathing, wind, or air.”

A lovely way to pay attention to the breath and “meditate in motion” on winter days is by taking up a practice called chi walking. Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides. Take a few deep breaths and focus on your body. As you exhale, begin to tread slowly, taking long, conscious, deliberate steps.

As you walk, imagine that you are sending energy (chi) from your feet into the ground, creating an energetic connection and cycle. Visualise chi as breath when it has condensed into clouds, surging and wafting through your body, from your nose as you inhale to the soles of your feet.

Going for walks on crisp, cold days reminds us where our “edges” are. There is a physical sensation of “you” and “weather” that is not experienced in quite the same way during more clement times.

Likewise, walking in winter is usually more challenging, bringing us not just to a temperature “edge” but to the edge of our physical ability.

Cold exposure, such as ice baths and cold showers, is on trend these days. As well as improving circulation, exposure to cold temperatures can activate the body’s stress response, triggering the release of happy endorphins, and increasing feelings of wellbeing and even euphoria.

The act of pushing your boundaries past chilly to cold may have psychological implications in terms of developing resilience and faith in one’s abilities. It all sounds good on paper, but despite all the scientific studies, many of us would rather take a walk in the cold than a dip in ice water.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Human Biology, we burn 34 percent more calories when we hike in cold weather than in more clement conditions. It makes intuitive sense as the physical exertion of tromping through snow or navigating ice is combined with the energy it takes to stay warm.

And walking in cold air is by its nature invigorating and energising, which means (if we do not get too cold) we are able to sustain a brisk pace for longer than we can on a hot summer’s day.

Cold weather is a natural sleep aid in many ways. Not only because the nights are longer and darker and our beds somehow cosier, but because cold exposure during the day can improve the quality of our sleep at night, especially as we get older.

Scientists from Japan’s Tohoku Fukushi University monitored those who were exposed to a cold or cool environment (around 13°C) for an hour before bedtime and measured their sleep.

The results showed that exposure to cold was associated with an increase in slow-wave sleep (our deepest sleep state) and a decrease in wakefulness after falling asleep.

If cold weather can improve our sleep, then walking in winter can improve it even more. A study found that people who walked for 30 minutes in cold weather, five days a week for a month had improved sleep quality compared to those who did not.

So, even on the coldest days, bundle up, put on sturdy boots, and go for a walk – especially if you are having trouble sleeping.

This is an edited extract from Winter Wellbeing: Seasonal Self-Care to Nourish, Sustain and Warm Your Soul, £16.99 (CICO Books)