What happens when we walk?
The human form—the structure of our musculoskeletal system—is superbly adapted for walking.
Walking efficiently can be a joy, using all parts of our self in harmony. Without being performative, it conveys a sense of presence which others are prone to notice, irrespective of our clothing or outer appearance.
The action of walking is both elegant and complex. That complexity means that there are many elements worth exploring. While almost everyone learns to walk as a young child, few continue to discover and develop. Many of us forget some elements, walking more stiffly in adulthood than we did as children.
What happens when we walk? The act of walking enables us to move across the ground while maintaining freedom to orient the head—specifically eyes and ears—to pay attention to whatever we need to pay attention to.
The standing foot—the foot that is in contact with the ground—pushes the ground in such a way that force transmits up the leg, through the hip joint to the pelvis, and across the pelvis to the opposite hip joint, moving it forward. The other foot, hanging under that hip at the end of the leg, can then come to stand, and the cycle repeats.
As we use our feet, legs and pelvis in this way, the other parts of us—trunk, shoulders, arms, neck, and head—move in harmony with the legs and pelvis to maintain upright balance and orient the head. This requires twisting and bending in the spine, elasticity in the ribcage, and an absence of unnecessary tension in hips, back, neck, shoulders and chest. Efficient walking demands participation from every part of us, spreading the work to make it near-effortless.
Many of us, though confident walkers, are unaware of our potential to improve, and carry parasitic tensions in different parts of ourselves, which go unnoticed but nevertheless affect our freedom of movement. Others are aware of limitations, such as chronic back pain causing a stiff walking action, but do not know how to find improvement.
Overcoming limitations in walking, as in any human activity, starts with self-discovery and playful experimentation—exactly the process babies use when first discovering movement. Be curious about limitations. Try non-habitual ways of moving. Break down complex movements into small elements and explore each separately before building back up to a complete movement.
In designing his method of movement education, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais paid a lot of attention to the elements and action of walking. Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons are a great way to build self-awareness and discover new or long-forgotten possibilities.
How do you experience walking? What have you done to make your walking efficient? Please leave a comment.