Going for a
walk
In addition
to giving people Reiki treatments we are told that Hawayo Takata, the woman who
brought Reiki from Japan to the West, would also give health advice to help
people in their healing. One of the
suggestions she made was that people should walk for 30 minutes each day.
This is of
course now also advice we are given by doctors and other health
professionals. It’s also something a lot
of people struggle to do.
A few months
ago we took on a new dog. After the
death of my old dog last summer I didn’t enjoy going for a walk on my own and
even before she died it was a struggle as she wanted to go out less and I was
very busy. When I decided to have
another dog I made a commitment to taking her for daily walks and this has been
wonderful. I have really enjoyed getting
away from my desk for a while to re-connect with Nature and have some exercise.
One of the
things I like about Takata’s advice is that, like Reiki, it’s simple. All you have to do is go out, put one foot in
front of the other and keep doing that for a while. I find that this simple practice helps my
mind as well as my body. It helps
increase my fitness but also allows me to unwind mentally.
I enjoy
looking at the plants, birds and animals around me, the scents of the changing
seasons and feel of different weather on my skin. Recently there’s been lots of sunshine of
course which has been wonderful – and great for topping up the vitamin D in
preparation for the winter!
I enjoy
watching the fun my dog has running around too and this lifts my heart if I’m
having a troublesome day. I also find
that walking is a good way to solve a problem.
I read recently that the word ‘problem’ comes from the Greek meaning “the
rocks put in our way by the gods”.
Sitting at my desk doesn’t help get round those rocks, but going for a
walk often does! As I walk and my mind
relaxes, a solution often appears in a most unexpected way. I also find Reiki treatments have a similar
effect in that they also relax my mind and allow creative solutions to come
forth.
Like Reiki,
and as Mrs Takata suggested, it’s also good as a daily practice. I’ve noticed that the more I practice daily
the things that help me keep healthy, the less out of balance I get, so it’s
easier and quicker for equilibrium to be restored. Like Reiki, walking encourages flow both
physically and mentally, enhances living in the present moment and enlivens the
senses.
So I’m
grateful for the gift brought by my dog who encourages me to go walking each
day and the joy that brings. Yesterday I
discovered harebells growing in a lane where I never would have expected
them. Bliss!
