PRAYER WALKING
Photo by Ethan Sykes on Unsplash
Supplies: Dress for the weather, that’s it.
Time: As long as you want to walk!
Why Engage It?
Sometimes we feel we don’t have time to do everything we want to accomplish in a given day, so we choose what is most important. If you’re like me, exercise is a necessary part of my day to feel healthy and to de-stress, but it takes time out of my carefully crafted day and it often means something else will be sacrificed in its place - usually a spiritual discipline. But “habit-stacking” is a proven way to get into the habit of doing something and it can also help us to do two things at once.
How to Practice It
Prayer walking is combining two healthy elements of life into one: walking (or running or cycling) and praying. Simple? Yes! But there are a couple of ways to do this effectively. One, put on some music while you walk that inspires prayer, but nothing with words so that you can be the one speaking (silently or out loud - whatever works for you!).
Two, if you take the same route each time (or even if you don’t), put some markers in place to remind you to pray for someone or a specific situation. For example, a certain light post might remind you to pray to be a light in the world, or it might remind you to pray for that friend who is sick and needs healing; a tree might urge you to pray for the state of our world and the environment; a stop sign might encourage you to stop and spend time with someone. The options are limitless! Make up your own!
Happy exercising, both physically and spiritually!