Do You Bimble? 👣

There is a word I have become rather fond of lately.

Bimble

Bimbling is quite different from hiking, marching, rambling or even walking. There isn't really a destination. There isn't a pace to keep. It's more of a gentle wandering with plenty of stopping along the way.

You might bimble along a woodland path and pause because a butterfly has caught your attention.

You might stop to listen to a buzzard calling somewhere above the trees.

You might notice that the elderberries are ripening, or that the blackberries are almost ready to gather.

You might simply stop because something has made you curious.

And perhaps that's the lovely thing about bimbling.

You don't have to be going anywhere.

Making space to notice

As I bimbled along one of my favourite woodland paths, I began noticing all the little things around me.

The woodland floor was incredibly dry after a long spell of hot weather. There was a crispness to the undergrowth beneath my feet, and I noticed the tiny oak trees struggling in the dryness.

I felt grateful for summer, but also concerned for the woods.

Later, lying on the grass after my yoga practice, I found myself looking up into the branches of an old oak tree.

The branches weren't straight.

They curved and twisted and wandered their own way across the sky.

I found myself wondering what had made them grow like that.

I don't know the answer.

But perhaps that's the point.

When we slow down enough to notice, the world becomes full of questions, curiosities and small moments that might otherwise pass us by.

The practice of Just Noticing

One of my lovely yoga students recently told me that she and her husband had spent their holiday practising Just Noticing.

Throughout their trip, they would point out little things to each other that had caught their attention.

I absolutely loved that.

Because Just Noticing isn't really about nature.

It's about paying attention to your life.

It's about giving yourself enough time to see what is already there.

We spend so much of our time moving from one thing to the next. We walk somewhere because we need to arrive. We go outside because we need exercise. We travel because there is somewhere we want to visit.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that.

But what happens when we occasionally let go of the destination?

What happens when we walk simply to see what we might notice?

Perhaps we notice the sound of the wind moving through the trees.

The shape of a leaf.

The scent of warm earth.

A bird calling from somewhere we can't quite see.

The way the light falls across a path.

Or perhaps we notice something inside ourselves.

A thought that has been waiting for space.

A feeling we hadn't realised was there.

A little more ease in our breath.

Bimbling and slowing down

For me, bimbling has become another way of thinking about slowing down.

Not stopping completely.

Not doing nothing.

Just allowing ourselves to move at a different pace.

It is something I try to bring into my yoga teaching too. Sometimes the most nourishing practice isn't the one where we do the most. It is the one where there is enough space to feel what is happening.

During a particularly hot spell, I found myself drawn towards a water theme in my yoga classes ~ cooling, watery movement, softening, flowing and creating a little more space to breathe.

I accompanied the practices with a beautiful essential oil blend called Island Mint ~ peppermint, lemon and lime. Fresh, bright and wonderfully cooling.

It reminded me that paying attention isn't only about what we see.

We can notice through all of our senses.

We can notice the aroma in the room.

The feeling of the air against our skin.

The sound of our breath.

The sensation of our feet on the ground.

And when we begin to notice, we begin to arrive.

When nature goes quiet

I found myself thinking about this again during a solar eclipse.

It wasn't really the sun that stayed with me afterwards.

It was the stillness.

The quiet.

The gentleness.

For a little while, everything seemed to soften, and it felt as though nature knew.

Perhaps that is one of the gifts of spending time outdoors.

Nature doesn't hurry us.

She doesn't ask us to achieve anything.

She simply gives us something to notice.

And sometimes, when we slow down enough, we notice that the world has been quietly speaking to us all along.

So, do you bimble?

Perhaps this week you could try it.

Take a walk without worrying about how far you go.

Leave your headphones at home.

Don't count your steps.

Don't set yourself a target.

Just wander.

Stop when something catches your eye.

Listen.

Look.

Smell.

Feel.

Wonder.

You don't need to call it mindfulness.

You don't need to turn it into a practice.

You could simply call it bimbling.

And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you might discover that there is a great deal to notice when you're not in such a hurry to get somewhere.

🌿 Do you bimble?

A little invitation 🌿

The next time you find yourself rushing somewhere, perhaps slow down.

Take the long way.

Notice what's around you.

Have a bimble.

And if you'd like a little more of that gentle slowing down in your life, you're very welcome to join me at Camomile Lawn.

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