Winding down for the night? Take a few minutes to slow down, clear your head, and find your center with our newest podcast, Step Into Calm: Daily Walking Meditations.
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Episode 4169:
In this Step Into Calm bonus episode, Justin guides you through a ten-minute evening walking meditation built to unwind the day before bed. Take 1,000 steps at your own pace while your breath slows, your shoulders drop, and the day's loose ends settle, so you reach the end of the night calm and ready for deeper rest.
Optimal Living Daily is a daily personal development and self-improvement podcast where we narrate the best self-help articles on minimalism, productivity, and intentional living, read to you by a professional narrator so you can live your best life a little more every day.
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[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_02] Pink Panther us here. Coach and Spotify are teaming up to bring music and style together, and they want you to be part of it. Grab your friends and head to the Tabby Tour, hitting cities around the country with live performances from special artists, exclusive experiences, and personalized products. And discover custom playlists on Spotify, built just for you based on who you are and how you listen. Live your story with Coach. Learn more at Coach.com.
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[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00] This is Optimal Living Daily, and I'm Justin Malik. Welcome back to our Sunday bonus episode. This is where I share an episode from a different podcast in our little network. Today's episode is from our newest show called Step Into Calm, where I walk with you and guide you through a walking meditation.
[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00] Because I know how uncomfortable it can be to sit and meditate. I learned walking meditation many, many years ago and really enjoyed it, so I recommend trying it out. If you do enjoy it, you can find Step Into Calm wherever you're listening to this, and you can show your support by following or subscribing in your favorite podcast app. I have a link in this episode's description too. So with that, hopefully you're ready for a little walk as we optimize our life.
[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00] Hey there. Whatever today held, it's behind you now, and this little walk is where you begin to let it go. There's no agenda for these next few minutes. We're simply going to use this walk to unwind, to loosen the grip of the day, and let the body begin getting ready for rest.
[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00] So keep strolling at an easy, unhurried pace. A little slower than usual, if that feels nice. Eyes open, and soft, taking in the evening around you. There's nothing to accomplish here. This is the part of the day where you finally get to stop trying.
[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00] To begin, just notice how the day has gathered in your body. Maybe the shoulders are up near the ears. The jaw is tight. There's a low hum somewhere. The leftover buzz of everything you did today.
[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00] You don't have to push any of it away. Just notice that it's there. The day still being carried. Now let's begin to set it down. Take a slow, full breath in through the nose. And let it go, with a long, soft sigh out, letting the shoulders fall.
[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00] Again, breathe in, gathering up the tension of the day. And breathe out, letting it spill down and away. The jaw softening, the hands unclenching. And as you keep walking, let each breath out carry a little more of the day out of the body.
[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00] With every step, you're a little further from the noise of it all, and a little closer to rest.
[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00] If the day wants to replay itself, the conversations, the worries, the things left undone, that's alright. Let them come.
[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_00] You just don't have to hold them tonight. Let each thought drift on past, like the last of the light leaving the sky.
[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00] There's nothing left to solve right now. The day is done, and you did enough.
[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_00] Just this slow, easy walking. Letting the body soften and slow with each step.
[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_00] You might let your awareness widen to the cooling air, the quiet, the dusk settling in around you.
[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_00] And underneath it all, the body winding down. Getting ready to rest.
[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_00] As your walk comes to an end, notice how things have loosened.
[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_00] The body a little heavier now, a little softer, closer to sleep. Let this be the beginning of your rest. The winding down has already started.
[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_00] When you get home, you can carry the softness with you, into the quiet of the evening, and into sleep. And that brings our practice to a close. Let your attention drift gently back to your walk. And let the day go. Rest well tonight. Now I want to tell you about a book that stuck with me.
[00:11:51] [SPEAKER_00] Life at the Speed of Play. Launch Products People Love, by Mark Pincus. Mark's a legendary Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and one of the most prolific idea generators around. But as he'll tell you, ideas are a dime a dozen. What matters is picking the right ones. His instant national bestseller is a fast-paced, 170-page read for these uncertain times, full of real-life skills, and a battle-tested, easy-to-follow framework
[00:12:18] [SPEAKER_00] for separating the great ideas from the terrible ones. Y Combinator's Gary Tan says it'll change your odds of success. And it reads less like a stuffy business book, more like you're in Mark's kitchen, already in his inner circle. Go to getmarksbook.com slash old, and buy one copy, and Mark personally, not his publisher, sends you a second one free. Two books, about $16 each,
[00:12:47] [SPEAKER_00] so you can hand one to a friend who's stuck. Once again, that's getmarksbook.com slash OLD.
[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_02] Pink Panther is here. Coach and Spotify are teaming up to bring music and style together, and they want you to be part of it. Grab your friends and head to the Tabby Tour, hitting cities around the country with live performances from special artists, exclusive experiences, and personalized products. And discover custom playlists on Spotify, built just for you based on who you are and how you listen. Live your story with Coach. Learn more at coach.com.