Need a break? Take a walk.
In ChiWalking, we walk with mindful attention to our steps. So we get aerobic conditioning with a bonus: meditation. Thinking about a single thing–in this case, what we are actually doing–is meditation.
John Cianciosi, writing in the Yoga Journal says, “Practicing walking meditation encourages the development of mindfulness in ordinary daily life. If you can learn to establish awareness during walking meditation—that is, while you are physically moving with your eyes open—then it won’t be difficult to arouse that same wakeful quality during other activities, such as eating, washing dishes, driving, or, of course, practicing yoga. Your meditation will begin to permeate your entire life.”
In ChiWalking, since we’re paying attention, we also listen to the feedback from our bodies, and make adjustments as needed to prevent any injuries.
Safe, injury-free exercise for body and brain. Sounds like a good deal to me.
If you already take walks, try focusing on your body. Every detail that it feels. To freshen it up, next time you go out, walk the reverse trail. If you leave the house and take all right turns around the block, tomorrow, take all lefts.
And you know what? If you walk far enough, you can pretty much walk off anything.
Try it.
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I like that concept of being able to “walk off” anything. My job is way too stressful and I had an emotionally challenging day yesterday, so going for a walk was my gift to myself this morning. I do like to be present when I walk — I leave my iPod in the car, even though I have created the world’s greatest playlist — but I never thought of walking as taking a break. But that’s exactly what attention to the present, to what you’re doing in the moment, is — a break from everything else.
Now, tell me again what I’m doing wrong if my calves hurt after a walk? And when are you going to put product links on the CoreMatters website so that I can order the ChiWalking book?
Thanks for the comment, Karen!
Since I have actually seen you walk, I can tell you that a couple of things are producing your sore calves….you are bending at the waist (losing your column), and you may also be heel-striking as a result of bending at the waist.
Walking in that position (unbalance, unaligned) creates too much forward lean and the wrong kind of forward lean, so your calves tense up in an effort to keep you from falling on your nose.
Get your posture back in alignment, and then practice holding your pelvis level, and your column in alignment, and then just pick up your feet. Keep everything (except your lower ab) relaxed.
Let me know how it goes.
I’m off to work on the link!
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