Everyone from Oprah to AARP are singing the praises of walking, as if it was the latest, greatest invention, instead of one of the major components of being human. For millennia, humans have walked everywhere, visiting friends, going to the fields, finding new homes. In the last century, our love affair with sitting has done more for the medical industry than almost any other bad habit.
Today, as I walked down a road I’ve traveled many times, I discovered that in spite of the fact that I’ve been walking for well over fifty years, there was still so much to learn. I realized that each time I was interrupted: barking dogs, runaway goats, a friendly neighbor, an approaching car, that the interruption immediately affected my shoulders and lower back. What seemed free suddenly tightened up, as if preparing for the worst. I also noticed that when I was taken by a beautiful flower, or the sight of the workers in the tomato field, that my breath changed, sometimes stopping altogether. As I continued on my way, my awareness was caught by a sense that my right foot was landing differently from my left. Then I noticed a kind of ache in my right hip. I began to experiment with my walk, and realized that there was some kind of habitual grabbing on my right side. Wow. As it suddenly let go, there appeared a sense of power in my stride. I was no longer relying on my thighs to get me going.
It mad me wonder how many times a day I grab, hold, tense in moments that are more demanding: a phone call, teaching a class, handling a difficult moment. The opportunity to take a walk, to just be with myself offers an opportunity to tune in without having to accomplish.
One strategy I use to interrupt my habitual walking patterns is to follow Monty Python’s Silly Walks. Just by walking differently for a few steps: long, low strides, side to side wiggles, legs out to the sides or pigeon toed, gives new information to the hips, ribs and spine. Of course, you may not want to try this when there are people or cars about, but it’s a great way to improve how you walk.
And you may find you’re thinking differently as well!
The Feldenkrais Method offers many new ways of looking at walking. A wonderful way to explore are the late Mark Reese’s CD series on walking. CHeck it out at