Slow Down: The Importance of Making Time to Amble

Now more than ever, in this most hectic of times, we all need to give ourselves the time and space to slow down. Psychotherapist, author and Wimbledon resident Jonathan Hoban talks about the pleasure and the power of pressing pause…

I’ve lived in Wimbledon nearly all my life, and one of the most important members of my Wimbledon family are the horses that quite literally stop traffic from time to time, and remind us all about the importance of slowing down and being present in the moment.

There have been many times I have been careering through the village and the sudden presence of horses has reminded me about the importance of ‘ambling’, and prompted me to fully take in my surroundings. If we’re racing all the time, we’re not diarising effectively enough or creating adequate space for ourselves to re-group and catch our breath. It is impossible to be effective, productive or work with personal clarity when you’re constantly working within unrealistic ‘time boundaries’.

'Walking With Your Wolf' author Jonathan Hoban

Walking Therapist Jonathan Hoban

Here’s what one of my clients, Jerry, had to say about finding time in my book, Walk With Your Wolf: “Even in the middle of London, I’m slowly walking through the grass, paying attention to how it feels under my feet. I feel human, in touch with the space around me, not at all pressured, not under the gun, and part of that is about creating the space and time. It takes extreme discipline to not ‘do stuff’, and even more discipline to carve out time where you will just amble along.”

Walk With Your Wolf