This is a book to convince you to get outside and walk for purposes of improving your health, both physical and spiritual.
The wisdom teachings and contemplative exercises are what interested us most. Chapter 3, for example, is called “Bear Feet,” offering real and experiential ways to feel more comfortable on your feet, using your feet, and “in” your feet. The authors write with what feels like indigenous wisdom:
“Begin by accepting that your feet are bigger than you thought. As you accept and appreciate just how big your feet are, you can allow them to spread out even more with every step. This isn’t something you need to try to do. The ground will do it for you. As you let your feet spread out, they will feel more comfortable, and they will thank you every day.” Later in the chapter is a lengthy practice, offered step-by-step, for massaging your feet in a way that “will help you walk with big, soft, supple, bearlike feet.”
The authors write often of health benefits — such as cardiovascular improvements and certainly stress reduction — but that is typically information one goes online to discover, and they seem to know that. So the core of their book is about what they call “vitality” and “inspiration,” centering on walking with friends, with the natural world, while breathing differently, and creative ideas for things like “walking for negotiation and problem-solving.”
It’s an unusual book; you wouldn’t think that you need experts to tell you if and how walking is good for you, but we were surprised at how full of contemplative practices and vision these 200 pages were.
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Go Deeper:
Every Body’s Prayer: An e-course exploration of the role of movement — walking included — in personal faith and communal worship.
