This morning is another bright and beautifully warm sunny day in Sheffield. After breakfast I decided to go for a morning movement snack.
I got up, put my sandals on and went for a walk. I intended to go for a walk around the block, just to get me going before sitting at the computer and working with clients/pupils.
It was so lovely to be moving that once I’d been two thirds of the way round the block (its really a triangle) I changed my mind and carried on going. I walked down to the park and the woods, past the old Shepherd’s Wheel and across the stepping stones.
I was really noticing all the plants and how fulsome and green and lush they are. The blackberry flowers are revealing their tiny green berries and look like they’ll produce an abundant crop this year.
As I walk I think about my head bobbing along, so it doesn’t restrict my spine’s length. I think about allowing my torso to be full and easy. I think about how my legs move in the round hip sockets.
I notice the sound of the trickling stream, the bird that flies across the grass and the ducks bobbing for food in the pond.
My attention comes back to me and my body/mind as I travel through nature.

I’m so grateful to have this wonderful slice of nature so close to where I live. Once you are in the park and going alongside the brook, you hardly see any houses and are shaded by the old English trees.
There is a steep climb for a couple of minutes coming out of the valley and I carry on walking forwards and don’t think about the hill, it takes care of itself.
I get a choice about which street takes me home and choose the steep hill up then down, just for variety and a little challenge.
Back home I feel refreshed. Delighted by a quick snack of moving in nature. I’ve given my body some wonderful sounds and sights and feel gently energised. I encourage you to do the same. Before you read any more, go for a 5 minute walk somewhere, around your flat or house, into the garden or down to the park. Just 5 minutes will get your cells moving better.
Lucy Ascham is an Alexander Technique teacher who lives and works near Bingham Park and the Porter Valley in Sheffield. She delights in the marvels of mundane daily life.