The runner’s high is well documented with testimonials and scientific reasoning. It is the state of euphoria that overcomes the runner after a period of exertion. Athletes report a lapse in anxiety and a higher pain threshold. Strangely, it does not manifest in all runners. As a walker I am interested in the translation of the runners high to the walkers high. If you struggle with mainstream meditation techniques then pursuing a flow state via walking may be for you.
The walkers high is a more cunning quarry. You will need to employ discipline, routine and some grassroots faith to open that door. You will need to walk for longer, and perhaps mix a brisk pace with some aerobically challenging terrain over a day to achieve some similar results. Walkers would more readily recognise the runners high as entering a flow state. Many walkers remain unaware and overlook the flow state when they are on a long distance walk, for they are just enjoying the walk and accepting the rewards without the academic thinking. The euphoria can present in many ways.
- Easy measured breathing.
- Reduced anxiety.
- Feelings of calm.
- A focused thinking unlike you normally experience.
- A beautiful exhaustion upon conclusion that enables the sleep of the dead.
I have walked solo and with companions and have come to recognise the signals. After the third day of an expedition all the frivolous conversations have been exercised. Members have aired pressing issues and complaints to the party and have had them reflected back. This is the purging period. It takes time to cross from the real world into the other world. On these long multi day expeditions there will be periods of time when the party strings out and separates on the track. This is where flow can be found. The landscape is pregnant for the walker, the natural stride opens the gate, the hurdles for flow have been cleared.
We must not discount optic flow when we walk. The eyes sucking up a constantly changing landscape as you perambulate your route. Likewise, the aural palette of sounds within reach creating the euphonic dimension. Your brain is processing this data and filing it away. It’s all the basis for a walking meditation.
How will I know when I am in flow?
You might not. It could take twelve months of regular walking for you to understand the how and the when of your own flow state. Don’t worry about it. Just maintain a regular walking practice. You will know when you get there. Concentrate on the process. Focus on your breathing and your stride. Use your stick to enhance your rhythm with a consistent metre. Allow your mind to wander along with you.
Accept the addiction
When you routinely walk a full day it doesn’t take long to feel the symptoms of a walking addiction. You have become addicted to the flow state. The yearning to walk new routes, to see new things, to drink from rivers, to steal the views from hill tops, to spend a day with limited possessions, to feel like a pilgrim.
Foundations of Flow
If you are seeking to develop your walking practice, and hence reach flow, the following points may be of assistance.
- Start early
- Get the ear buds out of your ears.
- Leave the phone at home or turn it off and put it in your haversack.
- Walk with a hiking stick.
- Start at a moderate pace then bring some fast walking into your morning.
- Increase your stride. Reduce your stride.
- Empty your brain of the events of the real world. Think through the issues then dump them.
- Engage the landscape with some detail. Look at some little birds hopping around a thicket, marvel at a tree, gaze over a beach, river or pond.
- Listen
- Smell
- Perge movere. (Keep moving)
- Get your breathing right. Keep it in front of you. Return to it. Notice it as you go over hill and dale.
- Feel your muscles.
- When thoughts pop into your mind, let them stay a while, feed them and then show them the door.
- It’s quite ok to think about the cup of tea or coffee you are going to have later in the morning.
- Use a steep hill to tether your stride to breathing.
- Have a long break at the noonday halt. Gift yourself at least 90 minutes. Eat. Nap. Take your boots off. Read. Chat.
Like all life pursuits, process beats outcome. Your investment in a day’s journey is a tonic for modernity. The walkers high is yours for the taking.
The Order Of Walkers 