I walk 3.6 miles outdoors four days every week: Friday - Monday. At this time of year, I get out and walking at daybreak, before the sun rises above Mt. Lassen, while the day is cool. I have done this for the last 15 years.
"What is it about walking, in particular, that makes it so amenable to thinking
and writing? The answer begins with changes to our chemistry. When we go for a
walk, the heart pumps faster, circulating more blood and oxygen not just to the
muscles but to all the organs—including the brain. Many experiments have shown
that after or during exercise, even very mild exertion, people perform better on
tests of
memory and
attention.
Walking on a regular basis also promotes
new
connections between brain cells,
staves
off the usual withering of brain tissue that comes with age, increases the
volume of the hippocampus (a brain region crucial for memory), and elevates
levels of molecules that both
stimulate
the growth of new neurons and
transmit
messages between them.
The way we move our bodies further changes the nature of our thoughts, and vice
versa. Psychologists who specialize in exercise music have
quantified what
many of us already know: listening to songs with
high
tempos motivates us to run faster, and the swifter we move, the quicker we
prefer our music. Likewise, when drivers hear loud, fast music, they
unconsciously
step
a bit harder on the gas pedal. Walking at our own pace creates an
unadulterated feedback loop between the rhythm of our bodies and our mental
state that we cannot experience as easily when we’re jogging at the gym,
steering a car, biking, or during any other kind of locomotion. When we stroll,
the pace of our feet naturally vacillates with our moods and the cadence of our
inner speech; at the same time, we can actively change the pace of our thoughts
by deliberately walking more briskly or by slowing down."
- Ferris Jabr,
Why
Walking Helps Us Think
"Walking is a spiritual practice that yields so many dividends: replenishment of
the soul, connection with the natural world, problem-solving, self-esteem,
health and healing, and heightened attention. Movement seems to encourage
dialogue and conviviality, leading to richer conversations with soul mates,
friends, and even strangers. Artists report that walking activates the
imagination and opens up the creative process. It is deeply restorative.
Throughout time, walking has played an enormous role in the devotional life of
people from all the world's religions: prayers and mantra practice while
walking, pilgrimage to sacred sites, walking the labyrinth, walking meditation,
and informal spiritual practices that make the most of strolling, sauntering, or
cavorting."
-
Walking and Spirituality
Walking: Quotes, Sayings, Lore, Poems, Bibliography, Resources. Hundreds of quotes to inspire and inform walkers everywhere.
Walking Meditation
The Five Senses
by PC Davidoff and Friends
