ChiWalking by Katherine Dreyer

Author:Katherine Dreyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

10. THE CALMING WALK

Purpose: Calming your mind and relaxing your body

Target heart rate range: 50 percent to 65 percent MHR

Cadence: 55 to 65 spm, very easy pace

Duration: 30 to 45 minutes

WHAT DOES IT DO?

You’ve just had the “day from hell.” Your nerves are shot, and there’s a steel rod running up and down your spine. Fear not, help is just a few steps away. This walk will help you to pull the plug on all that energy stuck up in your head. You’ll learn how to rid yourself of frenetic energy that can throw you off balance and leave you feeling like a pile of nerves. This walk does just what it says. It’s a calming walk. So whenever you need to take the edge off and realign yourself with a more sane sense in your body, just give yourself this walk and you’ll come back a different person.

This is a perfect walk to practice nose breathing. Breathing in and out through your nose has a very calming effect on your nervous system.

HOW DO I DO IT?

If you have the time to spare, make yourself a cup of tea before heading out for your walk. We suggest decaffeinated herbal tea such as chamomile. You remember. It’s the tea that Peter Rabbit’s mother gave him after his ordeal with Mr. McGregor. She knew exactly what tea would calm Peter Rabbit and help him recover from his near-death experience. It’s a wonderfully calming drink that’s good any time you’ve had a day that needs the corners rounded off a little. Brew yourself a cup and then take a few minutes to sit comfortably and sip while you let all those worries of your day melt away like spring icicles.

When you’re done with your tea, get your shoes on and head out for a walk. Start with setting your posture straight so that your energy can flow well while you’re walking.

The theme of a calming walk is to do whatever it takes to settle your energy. For most people it’s not the energy in their body that needs calming, it’s the energy in their head. So the best tactic is to direct your energy downward, away from your head. Begin walking at a very slow and relaxing pace—50 spm should be fine. This is not so much a physical workout as it is a calming and relaxing walk. The emphasis should not be on getting a great physical workout. Save that for another day when you need to get your ya-ya’s out. We’re calming now.

For this walk, your arms can swing fully extended at your sides in a nice relaxed way. Begin by focusing on your breath. Breathe out for 6 steps and then breathe in for 6 steps. If possible, try to breathe through your nose the entire time. This will stimulate nerve sensors in your nose which work to calm the mind. Here’s what osteopath Robert C. Fulford, DO, says in his book Dr. Fulford’s Touch of Life about nose breathing:

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.