“My pedometer has motivated me to walk”, said Dee Katus, member of INTERSTATE STEPPERS, adding that wearing her pedometer has increased her awareness of how many steps she gets each day.
“I had to go shed hunting to increase my steps,” Tedi Jo Williams, BIDDLE BARN STORMERS, as she explained that calving this year has been much easier so she had to find new ways to get her 10,000 steps.
The Amanda Gaskill Spay & Neuter Fund at the Broadus Vet Clinic was the charity chosen by three teams:
WALKING WACKERS, Caitlin and Kitty Riggs, Jen Bird and Carolyn Traub,
PURRfect MOOvers, sponsored by the BROADUS VET CLINIC, whose members are Lynne Pedersen, Cindy May, Jessica Rumph and Cindy May, and the H2 MEOW, Alyson and Raymond Ragsdale, Kelda Page and Donna Wilson.
The fund was created in memory of Amanda Gaskill, a friend to many and someone who dearly loved cats. Curbing the feral cat population in Broadus and the surrounding area is an extremely WORTHWHILE endeavor!
Another vital and important charity, the Biddle Community Heritage Center, was chosen by the BIDDLE BARNSTORMERS, who are Mary, Owen and Jackie Rumph and Tedi Jo Williams. “The BCHC is important to the children at the Biddle School and to community members. Maintenance and repairs are costly; however, every little bit helps,” explained BARNSTORMERS member, Mary Rumph.
WALKING MEDITATION is a way to develop a sense of calm, connectedness and awareness. Learn to be aware as you walk and use the natural movement of walking to cultivate mindfulness. Here’s how:
1. Select a quiet place where you can walk comfortably back and forth, indoors or out, about ten to thirty paces in length.
2. Stand at one end of your “walking path,” with your feet firmly planted. Let your hands rest easily. Open your senses to see and feel your surroundings.
3. After a minute, bring your attention back to focus on your body. Center yourself and feel how your body is standing.
4. Begin by walking more slowly than usual. Relax and let your walking be easy and natural.
5. Pay attention to your body. With each step, feel the sensation of lifting your foot and leg, then mindfully placing your foot back down. Feel each step as you walk.
6. When you reach the end of your path, pause for a moment. Center yourself, carefully turn around, pause again so that you can be aware of the first step as you walk back.
7. Continue to walk back and forth for ten or twenty minutes. Your attention will wander away many times. When you notice this, softly acknowledge where your mind went, then return to feel the next step. Like training a puppy, you will need to help your mind come back a thousand times, whether you have been away for one second or for ten minutes.
Use the walking meditation to calm and collect yourself. Practice at home first. Then extend your mindful walking to when you go shopping or walking down the street. Learn to enjoy walking for its own sake. You’ll begin to be present, to bring your body, heart and mind together as your move through your life. “The Wise Heart “
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