Join me for the Creative Walking Tour Challenge
November 27 – December 1, 2023
How are you doing at the moment?
We’re coming out of a few years of worldwide changes, filled with many things we would never have expected to live through in our lifetime. Between the pandemic and global climate change, the world feels different. Maybe you’re experiencing ongoing effects from these events in your life or maybe things are feeling back to normal, but something’s changed.
These events may have contributed to our allostatic load – the wear and tear on the body through chronic stress. It is SO important to be taking care of ourselves so that we can better navigate our way through it all.
Even if you are doing well, it’s hard to ignore the endless negative news cycles, unless you are consciously choosing to put your attention elsewhere. These Creative Walking Tours are all about finding beauty in the everyday and tuning into our surroundings and truly noticing the details.
Wherever in the world you are living, I’m sure you have come to appreciate the power of a walk outside, especially if nature is involved!
You know why that is? Biophilia.
Biophilia
(n.) an innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world.
How would you like to tap into your innate affinity with the natural world?
Let’s start with going for mindful walks.
Mindful walks can help us feel more connected to the present moment, our environment and ourselves.
Just getting present can reduce anxiety.
The act of heading outside and paying attention to our surroundings can also be a catalyst for inspiration and motivation, meaning we can get creatively unstuck!
In addition, going outside can be a balm for the soul (and your central nervous system!), allowing you to better cope with everything you have on your plate. Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile.
I’ve combined a few mindful walking ideas into my Creative Walking Tours.
Starting on November 27th, I’m holding a free 5-day Creative Walking Tour Challenge in order to get more people experiencing the benefits of mindful walking.
If you’re not able to go out for a full walk, just exploring the space around your house, garden, block, or even standing out on your balcony or at your window, will work with this Challenge. This can also be done as you’re running errands! I’ve done some Creative Walking Tours on my way to the grocery store, bank or post office.
We just need to plan accordingly.
How does the Creative Walking Tour Challenge work?
1. sign up
Once you sign up via the button below, you will receive an introduction email with instructions for how to get set up.
2. daily emails from me November 27 – December 1.
I will be sending you daily emails starting on Monday, November 27th at 8am CET (Central European Time – Paris), with instructions on the intention for the day’s walk.
For our Australian and New Zealander participants, this information may be getting to you at the end of the day – but don’t worry about it. You can do the challenge from Tuesday to Saturday and post accordingly!
The instructions will also be posted in the private Facebook group and on my Instagram.
3. go out for a walk every day and document it
In order to participate in the challenge, you will commit to heading out for a walk (it can be a quick one) and paying attention to the day’s intention.
You will also record details of your walking tour with photos, videos, words or drawings. There will be a private Facebook group and Instagram hashtags to fully share our experiences with each other.
Please note: participation on social media is not required, it’s simply a way for us to share.
4. prize and postcards!
> Handmade postcards from France
Everyone who signs up, participates in the challenge, fills out the survey at the end, and provides me with their address, will also receive a special postcard from France.
> A special gift from France
I will be sending ONE lucky person a small surprise gift from France.
If you sign up, complete the full 5 days of Creative Walking Tours, join the private Facebook group and post your daily photos there (and support other participants, too!), post your photos or videos daily on Instagram with the appropriate hashtags with a public account, and fill out the survey, you will automatically be entered into the prize draw.
want to know more?
If you want to know more about Creative Walking Tours, you can read my article on them here. Or you can check out a couple of my mini Instagram Creative Walking Tour videos here.
Are you in? We start on November 27th!
“I highly recommend the Creative Walking Tour Challenge.
As a mom with busy little ones, self care is always a difficult thing to accomplish. Marianne’s Tour gave the ability to ‘retreat’ daily – not only in the midst of it all, but also including my children at times. I was able to see new perspectives within my existing environment. Her direction had me tapping into dormant avenues of creativity and giving new inner life.
Marianne was very supportive during the whole process. My children loved the postcard from France with the bonus surprises inside.
Thank you so much for the work and thoughtfulness you put into the process. You made a beautiful space that made me feel welcome, seen, inspired and encouraged.“
– Lindseigh | Langley, BC, Canada
“I loved the Haiku. As I started pondering it as I walked and my mind would turn phrases over – it kept me attuned to what was around me. I also loved the walk where we looked for unseen beauty as I realised I was walking past a lot of things without really noticing them.”
– Sarah | Christchurch, New Zealand
“To my delight, I thoroughly enjoyed slowing down and taking in all the unseen beauty that is around me. I also enjoyed sharing my interpretation of what is beautiful.
My epiphany during the challenge was acknowledging that not every form of workout is a race to the finish line. The beauty is in the journey.”
– Debi | Philadelphia, PA, USA
“I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Creative Walking Tour. Having the ability to commit to taking time for yourself is a real treasure and I am so appreciative of this amazing opportunity. Thank you.”
– Pat | Edmonton, AB, Canada
“This was my second time doing the Creative Walking Tour Challenge. I love how I have become so aware of the beauty out there, every time we go for a hike, I see the small delights from tiny yellow flowers, and different textures and patterns.
This week was truly so good for me to remind me what to look out for and appreciate. I also loved to see photos of other parts of the world and our different seasons. Thank you very much!
– Celeste | Sunninghill, South Africa
By the way, bonjour!
I’m Marianne de Kleer, your Creative Walking Tour Challenge host. After 7 years as a communications manager in a vocal arts centre in the French countryside, I left my job to become a Certified Sophrologist and creative mindful walking guide.
I empower and support people to live with more joy, presence and ease.
Vibrant living – to me – comes down to this: living your most meaningful life with ease, finding (and cultivating) delight, and slowing down enough to appreciate the beauty around you, every day.
Doesn’t that sound…délicieux?
(Oh, and I’m also a Canadian living in France, lover of cheese, and avid cat owner.)
“Participating in this Creative Walking Tour Challenge was such a gift. Creating the space for myself to get outside, regard my surroundings with new eyes and engage my creativity, energized me and left me feeling grateful.”
– Rebecca | Vancouver, BC, Canada
“Thank you for holding a space for us to explore! Your encouraging words each day were lovely, and the structure you provided was flexible enough to adapt to each person’s needs.”
– Jeanine| New Westminster, BC, Canada
“I joined this challenge on a whim and I’m so glad I did. Building this kind of intention into my busy day opened my eyes and in some ways my heart to really see my here and now, which happens to be full of all sorts of beauty and loveliness that I would have otherwise missed. ”
– Angelle | Manitoba, Canada
“I loved getting up a bit earlier every morning and going out fir an intentional walk. I experienced so many things that I would have missed.
I really enjoy the way that one gets to experience cultures, textures, lifestyles from around the world. No muss no fuss…. Just pure living, loving and sharing in the moment. That’s what I love about this. ”
– Maxine | Meyerton, South Africa
“It amazes me how easy it is to be in the moment with just a little intention. The walks were so much more revitalizing by following the themes.
It definitely inspired mindfulness.”
– Karen | Halifax, NS, Canada
The small print on the prize
To be eligible for the prize, you will need to:
- Sign up for the Challenge via the button
- Join the private Facebook group
- Follow me on Instagram.
- Post daily photos or videos in the Facebook group and on Instagram (public profile) with the appropriate hashtags
- Fill out the end-of-challenge survey and provide me with your address
The prize will be drawn via Google’s random number generator and the winner will be informed in the Facebook group and on Instagram on Saturday, December 9th.
“This creative walking tour challenge was the perfect antidote to a long and despairing year because of the pandemic. For me, my world fell flat and uninspiring, as I felt so disconnected from the beauty of the world outside my window. However, as lockdowns are lifting, I needed that “spark” of inspiration to get me outside again.
Thanks to Marianne and her daily walking challenges, suddenly my world opened up again and there was a newfound beauty all around. Not only did the challenges spark inspiration, I really loved the community of other members sharing their experiences and photos of their vibrant worlds. These creative challenges really shine a new vibrant light in every step we take outside, while creating a community of others all over the world. ”
– Vesna | New York, NY, USA
“Excellent challenge. It was fun to do the challenges but it was just as exciting to see other people’s take on the challenges. A great way to stir up my creativity.”
– Leanne | Woodstock, ON, Canada
“I really enjoyed doing the Creative Walking Tour’s 5-day challenge. It was thoughtful, intriguing, and fun. It also helped me to reconnect with everything around me, instead of plugging away and slowly distancing myself from my surroundings. For that, I’m thankful.”
– Jacquie | Brandon, MB, Canada
“I really loved the prompts – they’ve reminded me that I can make my own prompts as well. This really nurtures my mindfulness, and although the challenge is presently over, I found myself looking at things differently when I went for a hike this morning.
I feel renewed in recognising and acknowledging the beauty around me, whether it’s something big or tiny.”
– Bobbi | Halifax, NS, Canada
“It was a great experience to be encouraged by so many to go from frazzled to captivated! ”
– Laura | Glenboro, MB, Canada
“I fully enjoyed the Creative Walking Tour Challenge because it made me (unconsciously) reprogram my automatic judgment of things, people and situations. I realized that things that were of no consequence to me before had meaning and may even be the basis of a happy memory. I find myself looking around now and smiling because I know that everything has a purpose and life is beautiful. ”
– Lauren | Springfield Gardens, NY, USA
