Just dropping our August Walking Challenge to make sure I don’t forget, as once on the hubbub of weekday working life, it tends to get busy. So get those walking boots out, ready for August! It’s a good one!
★★★ Walk like a nomad and breathe in rhythm to your stride★★★
I have found that learning to explore, develop and stretch your body to become stronger, walk longer, run faster, and lift heavier is often accompanied by learning international cultural practices, both historic and modern.
March, I was strengthening my ageing body with poses sourced from German Joseph Pilates (March Matness (thanks to the fabulous daily practice led by ChannelRunner2 - healthunlocked.com/strength... ).
And last month I learned about the 5 Tibetan Rites ( healthunlocked.com/strength... ).
And this post will be about something that Annabel Street in her book “52 Ways to Walk” calls Afghan walking.
But it’s quite a simple technique, a conscious walking technique that involves synchronising your breath with our light and moderately paced steps.
As Annabel Street writes, it’s sometimes also termed breath-conscious hiking, or yogic hiking, specifically beneficial for those longer walks.
With its intense focus on breathing and rhythm, it turns a walk almost into meditation. At least, that is what Street suggests.
So here is how it works:
- You take small, light and moderately paced steps
- You only breathe through your nose (keeping it aerobic)
- And start with something like a 3-1:3-1 pattern of breathing.
That is
○ Inhale a 1/3 of your breath each step for 3 steps ( in in in )
○ Hold for 1 step (hold)
○ Exhale a 1/3 of your breath each step for 3 steps ( out out out )
○ Hold for 1 step (hold)
- Focus also on maintaining good posture
So in 8 steps, your rhythm should have followed:
in - in - in - hold - out - out - out - hold
And repeat.
The ratio is negotiable and depends on your leg turnover, pace and also terrain.
For hilly climbs it might be better to have a 2:2 ratio, so
in - in - out - out
For those fittest amongst us, you might even get up to a 6:6 ratio:
in - in - in - in - in - in - out - out - out - out - out - out
Not one for me, but I am reminded of box breathing yoga techniques. The important thing is that nasal breath is synchronised with your steps.
And the benefits?
- Lower blood pressure
- Improved immunity response
- Denser bones
- Better sleep
- And of course the benefits to your lungs of nose breathing are immense and wide-ranging
So, how about it, up for a try to:
★★★ Walk like a nomad and breathe in rhythm to your stride★★★
Readings from
Annabel Street (2021): 52 ways to walk.
The surprising signs of walking for wellness and joy, one week at a time. Chapter 247 : Sing as you stride.
And for your reference, our prior THEMED CHALLENGES ARE:
★ January Challenge - Walk in the Cold healthunlocked.com/active10...
★ February Challenge - Take a 12-min walk healthunlocked.com/active10...
★ March Challenge - Take a City Smell Walk healthunlocked.com/active10...
★ April Challenge -Walk with your Ears healthunlocked.com/active10...
★ May Challenge - Follow a River healthunlocked.com/active10...
★ June Challenge - Walk with a Map healthunlocked.com/active10...
★ July Challenge - Sing as you Stride healthunlocked.com/active10...
