Rainbow Walk: A Mindfulness Activity to Move the Body and Rest the Mind

published 10/12/14; updated 6/19/23

Sidney, Australia

(photo by Catharine Hannay)



by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org


This is probably my favorite mindfulness practice. I tend to spend too much time sitting around with my mind running in circles, and this helps get my body to move and my mind to rest.

The instructions are very simple: Take a walk, and look for something red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Keep going through the colors, in order, until the end of your walk.

You can do this anywhere, at any time of year. Obviously, it will be easier to spot a lot of different colors in a garden in the spring. But in the winter, you could notice some bright red berries, or a red ski hat, or even a stop sign.

Here are some suggestions for individual practice:

  • Bring a camera and take a photo of at least one image with each color;

  • Bring a sketchbook--even if you're not an artist, this will help you really focus on what you're looking at; or

  • Write in your journal about the things you noticed and how they made you feel.


And here are some suggestions for group practice:

  • Provide a worksheet for students to note and/or sketch something they saw in each of the colors.

    • Here’s a downloadable worksheet that can be used with adults or kids.

      • Important Note About Downloads: These are printable worksheets, not fill-in-able pdfs. If you'd like to have your students fill them in and send them to you electronically, the worksheets need to be downloaded as 'Format: Open Office XML.'

    • Here’s another version of the worksheet, generously shared by first grade teacher Kate Schleyer.

  • After the walk, discuss what different members of the group noticed--were different people focused on different things? (For example, one person may have noticed mostly flowers, while another person may have noticed mostly cars or clothing.)


Here's a rainbow of photos from some of my own walks in different parts of the world. You might want to use them as a quiet contemplation practice on a day when you can't get outdoors.

Rindge, New Hampshire

(photo by Catharine Hannay)

Mount Kurama, Japan

(photo by Catharine Hannay)

Locust Grove, Virginia

(photo by Catharine Hannay)

Ackworth, New Hampshire

(photo by Catharine Hannay)

Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand

(photo by Catharine Hannay)

Sugi, Hirakata-shi, Japan

(photo by Catharine Hannay)

About the Author

Catharine Hannay, M.A., is the founder of MindfulTeachers.org and the author of Being You: A Girl’s Guide to Mindfulness, a workbook for teen girls on mindfulness, compassion, and self-acceptance. She was a teacher for twenty years, including a dozen years in the Intensive English Program at Georgetown University, and now works as a writer and editor specializing in mindfulness, effective communication, and mental health. CatharineHannay.com

Related Posts

There are many more walking-based practices and five senses activities here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts:

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The Positive Effects Gratitude Can Have on Your Brain

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Fostering Well-Being in the School Community: Q+A with Margaret Golden