Luxembourg opens new outdoor mindfulness trail

The new course will help people with their post-pandemic anxieties

On 19 July, Luxembourg’s Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, opened the Achtsamkeitspfad outdoor mindfulness course. It is the first of its kind in the Grand Duchy and is designed and created by the Centre for Socio-emotional Development (CDSE), free for everyone who would think to use it.

Mindfulness – the post-pandemic need for psychological balance

The CDSE specialises in psychopedagogy, aimed at taking care of children’s and young people’s psychological needs. They have established the course to promote a more physically active path to a healthier socio-emotional balance.

Their team has found that, through the daily practice of mindfulness, students become more empathetic, better able to perceive, interpret and control their emotions. Children regain a certain socio-emotional balance, develop more harmonious interactions with their classmates, and concentrate more easily.

Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation help train one's mind to focus on the present moment through focusing on feelings, breathing, a point on the body, movement, emotions or thoughts, all without making value judgements.

According to Minister Meisch, during the months of lockdowns during the last wave of the pandemic, the mental well-being of children and young people has been thoroughly tested. Some have suffered greatly, having had to deal with protracted periods of isolation, anxiety and uncertainty with very little socio-emotional balance.

An open serene path to your inner balance

By creating a course of mindfulness, the CDSE tried to provide access to their services and benefits to as many people as possible. The mindfulness course is located in the park at Munsbach castle, where CDSE has its headquarters, and the trail is open to individuals, groups or families.

The course unfolds in the open air, on nine stations, each one inviting visitors to experience a moment of mindfulness. The walk from one station to the next is guided by information panels with QR codes leading to digital audio files, all in four languages ​​(Luxembourgish, French, German, English) with the whole experience lasting around 60 to 90 minutes.

The course is accessible to people with reduced mobility and people who have visual impairments, as their journey will be guided by an adapted audio guide.