Present day man has become very intelligent. There are enough gadgets for travel etc., which has reduced the need for physical movements. All our time and energy is used for brain work. Hence walking has become one of the very useful practices for maintaining positive health and it can prevent many of the common ailments such as Diabetes and Heart diseases. A study conducted in America (Diabetes Prevention Program) has shown that regular walking of 2 hours/week was much better than tablets (Melformin) to prevent occurrence of the disease in the first and second degree relatives of diabetics. Research also has shown that walking can reduce the emotional stresses.
Walking as Yoga
How to convert your good habit of walking into Yoga? Yoga is mastery over the mind to be achieved through inner awareness, slowing and silencing of the mind. Next time when your head is loaded with anxious or angry thoughts, watch the speed of your thoughts and go for a brisk walk (until you get breathless) and then observe your mind. The speed of the mind would have reduced and the Anxiety or Anger would have cooled down. Of course it will come back with the same violence, if you do not introspect and take autosuggestions to manage it further by self analysis.
While walking, make sure you walk alone and select a fairly quiet place in your free time. If you like learning Stotras and memorize them, this is the best time to do it. Chant Sahasranamas to synchronize with your foot steps. After this start combining the foot steps with free hand movements (as in a parade) with Japa. Select the Japa of your Ista Devata and synchronize with your foot steps. You may visualize that your beloved Lord is walking through your feet and count one Japa for each toe with each step. Thus you would have completed ten chants in ten steps. After 108 steps move on to breathing. Synchronize the breathing with your foot steps. Start with fast breathing; inhalation for one step and exhalation for the next step; after about 100 steps slow down the breathing. Breathe in two steps, breathe out four steps. After you have done this for about 15 minutes, now you are ready for focusing (Dharana). Pick up a far off object and focus your attention fully on the object; intense focusing; keep on shifting to farther and farther objects as you move on. See that you do it with full concentration and intensity. After 10 minutes you are now ready for expansion (Dhyana). Defocused attention on a single thought is Dhyana. You are continuing to walk while you look at the trees and sky in front and all around you. Your eyes and ears are no longer focused on any one object, you can hear all the sounds around you without trying to decipher the meaning and your eyes have a panoramic view of the Vastness and the space around. Your mind is now diffuse, not analyzing, not commenting, but it is just aware of the rhythm of your body movements in the middle of the Vastness of nature around you. Go beyond the man made part of the park and the buildings and tune to the space all around. Go on expanding and enjoy the relaxation for the rest of the time of your walking. After you finish, before you get on with your duties, sit for a few minutes or lay down in Shavasana for 5 minutes and feel the deep balance of Prana, freedom in the head region and the Ananda of silence. Thus walking can become yoga containing the components Asana, Pranayama, Dharana, Dhyana and Eshwara Pranidhana. |
