The Color Game: A Walking Meditation I Actually Stick With

A few months ago, when I opened our new boutique counselling and wellbeing clinic it was close enough to home that I started walking to work.

What began as a practical choice — save the drive, get some steps in — has turned into one of my favourite parts of the day.

There’s the obvious stuff: fresh air and a chance for a little exercise.  But what surprised me is how much I’ve come to rely on that walk for something else entirely — a few unhurried minutes to think, to sort out what the day ahead actually needs from me, and to settle my mind before I sit down with my first client.

Some mornings that looks like genuine meditation. Other mornings, my brain has other plans and won’t sit still for anything resembling stillness.

On those days, I play a game.

Here’s how it works: I pick a colour — any colour, whatever comes to mind first. Then I spend the rest of the walk noticing it. Every time I see the color, I just make a mental note of it in my head.

It sounds almost too simple to matter. But something happens when you give your brain and your attention one small, specific job:  the noise quiets down.

You stop rehearsing that email you need to send, or replaying yesterday’s conversation, and you start actually seeing the world in front of you. And the color you chose? It shows up everywhere. Doors, signs, flowers, a passing car, someone’s scarf, a bird. It’s always been there — you just hadn’t been looking.

That’s really the whole idea behind a lot of what happens in a counselling session, too. Not a dramatic overhaul of your life, just a small shift in where your attention goes. What you practice noticing, you start to notice more of — whether that’s a colour on your street or a pattern in how you talk to yourself.

If you want to try it, here’s the short version:

• Pick a colour before you head out the door.
• Spend your walk (or drive, or commute of any kind) noticing where it shows up.
• No judgment if your mind wanders — just gently bring it back to the colour.
• Notice, at the end, how you feel compared to when you started.

You don’t need to walk to work, a meditation app, or a whole lot of time to calm your mind. A quick walk around the block will do just fine.  Use the time you have and the environment you’re in.

If you’re someone who’s been meaning to build in more small moments like this — or if your mind rarely feels quiet enough to try — that’s exactly the kind of thing that I can help you with. Most often the work of feeling good and living well starts with something this small.

Thanks for your interest…I hope you found this helpful.
Penney 

Curious what working together might look like?   Why not book a Complimentary Connection Call with me?  It’s a FREE 15 min phone call that is relaxed and informal & a great chance for us to get to know each other and to make sure you’re comfortable right from the start.