Ideas and insights: Walking is about connecting and reconnecting

I saw a documentary about Paramahansa Yogananda that described yoga and meditation as paths to mind-body awareness. If we look at other activities, we’ll find a perspectives about mind-body awareness we can extend to walking and was one reason why I took up Nordic walking.

I like to think of walking in general as meditation in motion, and Nordic walking, because it’s purposeful, can provide a way to clearly focus one’s mind. That’s because the Nordic Walking Guy’s first rule (Walk with purpose!) merges mind and body to achieve Nordic walking perfection for me, a blend of self-awareness and other-awareness.

First, self-awareness. Here’s how I’ve thought about it:

• When I was a beginning Nordic walker, I didn’t feel particularly coordinated and spent my mental energy getting the use of the poles right. There were days when I thought I’d forgotten how to walk.
• As I learned the movement, I was able to worry less and less on walking correctly and focused more on developing a rhythm and cadence.
• Now, I don’t think about how to use the poles because the motion has become muscle memory (it’s just walking, after all), and I wonder why I had to go through that learning process.

That was my first understanding that Nordic walking could produce self-awareness.

• When I started, I thought, “How hard could this be? It’s just walking!”
• There was something about having poles in my hands, however, that forced me to learn how to walk all over again. The coordination had to be relearned because I was, for example, walking with the same arm swinging with the same leg instead of the opposite leg as in normal walking.
• That relearning required focus in restoring the mind and body connection to get back to a natural walking gait.

An AI-assisted Internet search found a number of ways Nordic walking facilitates the mind-body connection, combining physical activity with mindful movement, stress reduction, and an enhanced sense of well-being.:

• Nordic walking encourages a more upright posture, which can increase body awareness.
• Improved posture and the rhythmic movement of the arms and legs can help you become more attuned to their body’s movements and alignment.
• Because it calls for concentration on coordinating the movement of the poles with walking, you can feel a state of mindful awareness, where you’re more present in the moment and attentive to the body’s movements.
• Because Nordic walking can synchronize movement with breathing, you can achieve relaxation and mental clarity.
• Nordic walking can reduce stress and anxiety levels. Repetitive, rhythmic activity like Nordic walking can have a meditative effect, calming the mind and reducing stress.
• Because Nordic walking is often done outdoors, which allows for a connection with nature. Being in natural environments can enhance mental well-being and create a sense of peace and tranquility.
• Nordic walking can stimulate the release of endorphins, your body’s natural mood lifters, which can lead to improved mood and a sense of well-being.
• Nordic walking can improve cognitive function by improving clarity and concentration.

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