With civilization excessively obsessed with materialism, our bodies and minds have become so distant from the origin. Deterioration of the body and mind due to stress and anxiety, nutritional imbalance and insufficient exercise has become a common problem that we encounter every single day.
It seems we are so preoccupied with busy thoughts and stress that we cannot even afford a few minutes of retrospect to find the cause of all the stress. This generation desperately needs real ‘healing’ for our bodies and minds. What could that solution be?
The fact is we can’t find happiness from “possession” anymore, perhaps something that we already acknowledged deep down in our minds. So then perhaps the most urgent solution would be to take “emptying” into action, which is a process completely contrary to what we have done so far.
As the first step of healing yourself, why don’t you start with the simplest and easiest measure, rather than the most complex and artificial?
“Walking is a panacea – walk for 30 minutes every day”
Among the exercises humans can do, walking is the closest to perfection. You simply need your body, and it is an effortless exercise you can easily practice in your daily life. Although it looks simple, walking literally exercises the whole body, enabling the harmonious movements of joints, bones, muscles and nerves.
Not only that, but walking moderately stimulates the brain and promotes the activity of the autonomic nerves. So, it helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Eskimos actually take walks as a way to release their negative emotions. It is their custom to walk across a white snowfield endlessly until all the emotions, such as sadness, worry, and anger, disappear.
<Positive Effects of Walking>
- Oxygen intake increases as breathing efficiency improves. This is excellent for burning fat, and thus helps fight obesity. Walking is a good aerobic exercise that is excellent in developing immunity.
- Walking prevents heart diseases as it improves cardio pulmonary function and promotes blood circulation.
- Walking is an excellent exercise for high blood pressure as it lowers blood pressure by promoting the growth of hormones called dopamine.
- Walking is effective in strengthening leg and lower back muscles. It is also a safe and effective exercise as it doesn’t stress knees or joints.
- Walking stimulates the bones without stressing knees or joints. Therefore, it prevents osteoporosis by maintaining and enhancing bone density.
Looking at its healing effects, it is no wonder that “walking” is a panacea. Walking is a simple exercise for those who always seek something better, more outstanding and more convenient. What makes this simple “walking” more special is that it has something in common with the “emptying” and “subtracting” that we long for, like the Eskimos who walk to “release” their inner emotions.
<How to Walk Properly>
Two things are needed in “walking:” correct posture and the tenacity to stick at it for the long term.
Throw out your chest, tuck in your lower belly, straighten your back upright, and make sure not to put your hips back. Always walk with your body standing upright. It is better to walk at a slightly faster pace. Try to avoid walking too fast or walking with strides too big.
If you have the will, it won’t be that difficult to invest 30 minutes out your 24 hour day. Let’s take the first step to heal ourselves today; let’s walk for 30 minutes.
Photography by N. Bloom
<Tips for Getting Started>
*Wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual to take a morning walk.
*Make a little time before every meal (e.g. lunch time) to take a walk.
*Even if you can only make 5 or 10 minutes, it’s worth using that break for a walk.
*Change your habits so that you walk if it’s a short distance.
*When you have more free time, challenge yourself by walking somewhere far.
Just as “walking” simply heals our body and mind, there might come a day when there is a way to set everything right for those of us who have come too far. And the day when we can find our origin and truly coexist of one mind, at one will, through such a method may not be too far away.
