Mini English Listening and Speaking Practise - Walking & Talking

Hello world. Today I am walking on the beach. Behind me there is a lush green mountain and to my left I can hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. I can feel the sand beneath my feet. Welcome back to Sprout's Bite Size English podcast for your ears to chew on. And today's episode is all about the healing power of walking. You can use this podcast to practice your English listening skills, to pick up new vocabulary, or you can pause the podcast and practice shadowing me, which is to repeat what I say just after I say it. At the end of today's mini podcast I will be sharing a practical speaking tip that you guys can use while you are walking out and about, whether that's on the street, on the beach, or in the forest. So recently, about three months ago, I was admitted to hospital, which means that I had to stay in hospital overnight. And my health has really been up and down over these past three months. It's been like a roller coaster. It has been a struggle for me mentally and physically. It's been difficult in my mind and my body to deal with. But something has really helped me, and that is simply walking. Taking a walk in nature. Taking a stroll in nature, which is a gentle walk. And it's helped my mind feel more relaxed, more clear, less anxious, less stressed, and less sad about not being in perfect physical health. And it's helped my body as well, as walking is a very gentle way to move. It's very calming, very relaxing. We all know that walking is good for us. We know it's good for our brains, and we know it's good for our bodies. But it's good to remind ourselves of this information, right? So I recently bought a book called How to Walk by Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, and in that book, he talks a lot about mindful walking. Now, mindfulness is when our mind is with our actions. So I'm walking, and I'm thinking about my walking. My mind is not sad about the past, and it's not worried or anxious about the future. It's in the moment. It's aware that my feet are touching the earth. And that actually reminds me of one quote that stuck in my head, which means I remember it very well. And it was, walk as if your feet are kissing the earth. Simply practicing walking and breathing and focusing on only those two things has really helped me to feel better. Another idea that also has stuck in my head is the idea of finding beauty in the mundane, which means to find beauty in the everyday things. Oftentimes, we strive, which means we reach for goals. We want things to happen for us to be happy. But finding beauty in the mundane is simply taking a deep breath and realizing that we have everything we need in this moment to be happy. I want to leave you guys with a very practical exercise, and one that maybe might make you look crazy. Now, this exercise you can do while taking a walk in nature or anywhere you like, and it is name it, describe it. So, I'll show you an example. I can see the sand beneath my feet. It's slightly damp because it has just been raining. To my left, I can see the ocean, and the waves are crashing against the shore. In the distance, I can see an island, and it looks slightly hazy because it's a cloudy day. It's overcast today. So, next time you're walking, you can start by making simple sentences. Look at something, say what it is, and then try to make one or two sentences to describe that thing. You can describe how it looks, the color of it. You can describe the shape of it. You can describe how it sounds. And if you don't know the name of the thing, then you can simply make a connection. You can say, it looks like something else. For example, sand. You can say, I'm walking on the beach. It looks like salt or flour. This will help you in a real conversation. When you don't always know the word for something, you can always find a way to say what you want to say, to express yourself, by using the words that you do have. It's not about having a huge vocabulary, but it's about having the flexibility and the agility to use the vocabulary that you do have. I've mentioned this name-it-describe-it practice before, and a few of you in our Infinity classes have mentioned that you love to do this. Gayatri and Hussein, you guys tell me that you love to take walks in nature and also practice your English speaking at the same time. It kills two birds with one stone, which is an idiom to say that you can do two things at the same time. Now, what if I look crazy? What if people think I'm weird, talking to myself in nature, talking to myself while I walk on the street? That's a very good question, and I'm glad you asked. Really, you can start this by going somewhere quiet. If you feel a bit uncomfortable, if it bothers you, what people think. But you can also take some comfort in knowing that most people are thinking in their own head anyway. They won't remember seeing you. They won't remember hearing the person talking to themselves in the street. They're more likely concerned with their own problems and their own thoughts. Really, it's about realizing that no one else cares, and that's a good thing. That's quite a liberating thing. It's quite freeing. Now, this links on to the final word of today, which is unfazed. To be unfazed by something means to not let it bother you too much. I'm unfazed by talking while I walk. It doesn't bother me if people think I look weird. I'm okay with it, and that's fine. Now, for all my lovely Sprout learners out there, I would really encourage you to take the words that you learned in this podcast, practice using them with your flashcards, and then talk about this podcast with Ji to reinforce the words and to share your opinions and your thoughts on this idea of walking to improve our mood and to improve our English. I hope that the name it, describe it exercise is useful, and I hope you have a beautiful day wherever you are in the world. Thank you so much for being here, and I'll see you very soon. Much love. Peace, guys.