Slow Ways for Wellbeing
In my practice, I consciously and purposively plan to slow down, dawdle, and adopt what I call a slow pedagogy¹.
I know that we live in a busy, noisy, connected world, where our attention, and our senses, are constantly bombarded. We lead lives that are busy, and full, with work, family, hobbies, and recreation activities. I argue that we need to deliberately spend time, make time, as a human-being rather than a human-doing. Green Hat workshops can help you to do this!
I am convinced about slowing down and how this can contribute to our mental wellbeing. For more on wellbeing please see this blog I wrote and edited - Slowing down: A prescription for dawdling?
I have been influenced and inspired by many people including the books The Slow Professor and Wasting Time with People!
As well as using this in my practice, I have also written about slowing down and becoming a human-being in academic textbooks.
Leather, M. & Thorsteinsson, J. (2021). Developing a Sense of Place. In G. Thomas, J. Dyment, & H. Prince (Eds.). Outdoor Environmental Education in Higher Education: International Perspectives, pp. 51-60. Springer.
There are of course other “slow movements” that discuss returning to our older, slower, and more traditional ways. Slow Food (rather than fast food) and the Slow Ways movement.
Slow Food is a global, grassroots organisation, founded to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, and counteract the rise of mass market globalisation. Slow Food was started in Italy by Carlo Petrini and a group of activists in the 1980s with the initial aim to defend regional traditions, good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slow pace of life. In over two decades of history, the movement has evolved to embrace a comprehensive approach to food that recognises the strong connections between plate, planet, people, politics and culture. For more information see Slow Food in the UK.
A Slow Way is a route for walking, or wheeling, between two places - neighbouring cities, towns, and villages - using a wide variety of existing paths, ways, trails, and roads. Their key principle is that people should be able to walk reasonably directly, safely, easily, and enjoyably between neighbouring settlements. The UK version of this can be found here at SlowWays.
¹ Pedagogy is just one word that reflects and summarises the art and craft, the science, and the performance that makes up the complexities of teaching and learning!
By Mark
