Solitary Walks

The Many Benefits of the Solitary Walk

By Heather Barnes, Freelance Writer

May 2007

I believe that there is a path less traveled in this frenetic life – it is the act of walking . . . in solitude. Cars and buses, trains, city sidewalks, shopping malls and bank lines – we are inundated with the company of technology, and others, everywhere we go. The sounds of every day life easily pervade our minds and our personal space. Cell phones, laptops that go on the road – we often lack "quiet" and feel lost without the humming of music, frequent phone availability, or the droll of a TV turned on just to fill the vacant air of a room.

Commonly, walking is credited with the prevention of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even bone disease. It builds stamina, and it helps maintain weight. If that were not enough, when the body moves so does the mind. Think about it. The mind, like every muscle in the body, needs exercise. Walking has the potential to free one of stress and depression as well as bring balance to the inner-self. Walking in solitude, however, allows the mind to shift gears even further. When specific distractions are removed, and the body is simultaneously moving, the mind has a chance to practice its internal dialog which is so vital. A solitary walk is an ideal time to meditate, to pray, to unwind in thought and possibly find resolutions that only a fully engaged mind -- free of the usual distractions -- can find. Each mindful step can lead to greater spiritual harmony within one’s soul leaving the body more complete as a whole. Yes, walking in solitude is not only beneficial, it’s essential.

Maybe you feel you can not venture out on foot without the company of a companion. Yet, you may also discover that walking alone is not lonely. The intentional times set aside for walking in solitude can become both physical and spiritual journeys where body, mind and soul merge into a unity of perfect balance.

John Muir, who discovered the majestic Yosemite, wrote extensively of his solitude travels on foot. In the summer of 1870, he penned, "I am rich, rich beyond measure, not in rectangular blocks of sifted knowledge, or in thin sheets of beauty hung picture like about the "walls of memory," but in unselected atmospheres of terrestrial glory diffused evenly throughout my whole substance throughout the country."

During my solitary walks along the vast beaches of my hometown, or while hiking up my favorite mountain where coastal fog slithers between plunging valleys, I have, inadvertently, stumbled upon a fundamental remedy for internal health and spiritual harmony. My decision-making is more clear, and my senses are heightened. With each purposeful step I find my mind engage in silent mediation with my body.

May we all discover feeling "...rich, rich beyond measure" as we put aside our daily routines of noise and fellow humanity now and then. Now it’s your turn. Go forth, and seek a beautiful path; exercise the soles – let muscle and mind converge -- in soul-filled solitude.