Counting Sounds: A Mindful Walking Practice
published 3/1/25; updated 1/2/22
Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash
by Catharine Hannay, founder of MindfulTeachers.org
The instructions for this mindfulness activity couldn’t be simpler:
Go for a walk and mentally count or list all the different sounds that you hear.
It’s essential to turn off your electronics or leave them at home. And No Talking, although you can certainly smile and at anyone you happen to pass. (I’m sure it comes from growing up in a small town, but I always feel this sense of camaraderie, like in that Paul Simon song: “Say, ain’t we walking down the same street together on the very same day?”)
If you’re doing this activity with a group or for a class, be sure to keep it noncompetitive: It could be interesting to discuss the different sounds people hear, but it doesn’t matter who tallied up the most sounds by the end of the walk.
That said, you’ll probably be surprised how many sounds you do notice when you stop focusing on everything else.
For example, here are the sounds I heard on my walk this morning:
My footsteps
on the pavement
on a gravel path
on dried leaves
on a wooden bridge
Two different types of birds, plus an owl
A jogger’s sneakers fwopfwopfwopfwop on the pavement
A buzzing chain saw
Cars whooshing past
The hood of my coat swinging against my hair
My sleeves swishing against the side of my coat
A dog and a man: “Yipyipyip!” “Relax, Gus.”
I’m sure you’ll find that focusing on sounds is a great way to stay in the moment. Counting Sounds is also a nice alternative to Rainbow Walk, for anyone with vision issues or during times of year when your surroundings don’t look very colorful.
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 practices and five senses activities here at MindfulTeachers.org, including the following posts: