Since you are supposed to walk for an hour a day with your weight vest to improve bone density, what else can you do on that walk that would accomplish something really life-changing for you?
A few days ago I was totally bummed with an emotional issue that I just couldn’t get out of my mind. So I was doing the hamster-wheel thing in my head going over and over it. I was walking on the beach because that is so healing for me but even that wasn’t really working to get me out of my funk.
Then a young woman walked by having a conversation with her earbuds and she was swinging her arms vigorously and walking like a powerful person. I suddenly noticed my internal and external physiology, my posture, and I got the realization I was walking like my mother in her last years. Towards the end her mind was going and she didn’t remember that she was loved plus she was afraid of dying so she walked like a scared, depressed person.
My posture wasn’t that bad but there was enough of that energy present to surprise me. I straightened up immediately and slid my shoulder blades down my spine trying to make them meet in the middle of my back. I swung my arms more vigorously and I lengthened my stride. I didn’t get on the phone because I think that is really insane on the beach 😉
Immediately I felt better, in fact I burst out laughing at the change. I suddenly saw the stew I was in from a new perspective and saw clearly that the other person was not going to change so all I could change was my reaction. I could create better boundaries so this person could not affect my self-image. I am fine, he is fine, we are just not walking the same path. Why would we be? We basically all have to find the path that works for us in this life.
So then I experimented with other emotional states as I walked along to see how many states I could get into and out of by merely changing my posture. I have a total belief in using the power of body awareness to create in your life but I somehow forgot to use that when I was in the dumps. Luckily my inner wisdom created this young woman to teach me in the moment I needed it.
So try it for yourself. Ask yourself some questions as you walk:
- Am I walking like anyone I know?
- Am I walking like BIG PAM or like little pam?
- Is my body expressing any specific emotion with my movement?
- Am I fully present in this moment – or in the past or future?
- Am I expressing all the enthusiasm I could in this moment?
- Am I allowing myself to feel the joy in the world in this moment?
- Am I appreciating all that I have in this moment?
- Am I sending back love to nature, or the planet, or Gaia, or trees, or flowers, or whatever in this moment.
Another fun thing you can do is mimic other people’s posture (after they pass) and see if you can feel what they are feeling when you do it. Many men in this culture walk with their toes turned out, duck walk, and it is really funny to try that and see how it feels; your belly goes out, your back arches.
Instead of just getting some exercise or improving your bones, you can be improving your capacity to change your emotions in your hour of walking.
Please let me know in the comments if you can make this work on the treadmill. It might be a little more difficult.
Enjoy your walking, and get your free morning meditation here – http://healthyover50.com/meditation/
Pam