While conquering the world’s swimming pools in the late 1990s and the 2000s, Amanda Beard had already included breathing exercises and visualisation techniques in her training.
She was not the type of person to practise meditation, though. She didn’t completely understand it, or she thought of it as something incompatible with her “anxious and fidgety character.”
Several years after the end of her athletic career, she discovered walking meditation. “I put on my earbuds, turned up the music really loud, and just went out for a walk,” Beard says.
Today, the seven-time US Olympic medallist practises walking meditation in nature, around the house, on a plane, or while walking the dog. It’s a daily practise that contributes positively to every aspect of her life, she says.
Here’s what you need to know about walking meditation, including how to do it, the potential benefits, and tips from meditation experts.