As fortune would have it, I’ve been to the beach a few times in the last couple of weeks, walking long distances on sand packed so tight you can ride a bicycle, although most people power walk or jog. Each step leaves a footprint in the sand, just enough to tell the story of that person’s walk. A heavier left heel, a foot that turns outward or rolls in. I began to watch the walkers and the joggers as they passed, then looked down at their prints. The impression in the sand matched their carriage and the impression of the person in an uncanny way.
Our legs and feet take us where we want to go. Yet we take each step for granted until something hurts. What happens when one wishes to move forward, but the feet point outward, making the walk a waddle? How long can you run when one knee is bent inward, stressing the joint with every stride? We all want to walk with power and grace. How do our legs and feet participate in our self-image?
The Feldenkrais Method offers many wonderful ways to explore our legs, our feet and our relationship to walking. Here’s a lesson from my book Walking Your Talk. See if it affects how you walk and run. After all, how you move is how you move through life.