Intrigued by walking yoga and its recent rise in popularity, L360’s Katie Sipp-Hurley set out to see what all the hype was about — and was surprised by the results.
Neither blessed with natural flexibility nor motivation to work on it, yoga has never been a regular hobby of mine, despite several half-hearted attempts with different styles (sleep yoga was a favourite — it mostly involved rolling around on the floor).
More than that, anything involving meditation or mindfulness has always been challenging for me. Like many others, I suspect, I struggle to keep racing thoughts at bay and a never-ending to-do list floods my brain. As a result, these mindful spaces, like group yoga classes, can feel a little alienating.
I have, however, always loved walking, which, I think, is the closest I’ve come to mindfulness. But after a recent trip where I found myself relearning how to stay present — which coincidentally involved a lot of aimless walking — I returned feeling refreshed and renewed.
Spurred on by this reminder, I thought I’d give walking yoga a go for two weeks to see what all the fuss was about.
What’s walking yoga and why’s everyone trying it?
If you haven’t heard of walking yoga already, it’s pretty much in the name. It involves doing typical yoga poses, like Mountain Pose for posture, Tree Pose for balance and gentle twists for core engagement, but outside, while on a walk.
Since it gained traction in recent months, everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon — and given its varied benefits I can understand why.
Adding walking into your yoga practice maximises certain benefits tenfold. Olga Church, in-house yoga instructor at The Yoga Collective, explains: “Combining the flexibility and strength-building aspects of yoga with walking can help improve heart health and boost overall fitness levels.”
On top of that, it’s being hailed as an effective way to reduce stress and enhance mental clarity — not surprising, given how good walking alone is for clearing the mind.
How could I benefit from walking yoga?
Clinical psychologist and yoga teacher Dr Tracy King says many clients come to her dealing with trauma, ADHD, chronic stress, anxiety, burnout and major life transitions. For them, seated meditation feels overwhelming — or even unsafe. Stillness can feel like stagnation and the invitation to ‘go inward’ can flood the system, something I can relate to.
So, why is walking yoga considered a gentler alternative?
According to Tracy, it’s all about rhythm. She explains: “Walking yoga creates a rhythm — a pattern — that the brain and body can trust.” Walking itself plays a big part in this.
She adds, “The rhythmic stimulation of walking mimics the mechanics behind EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing),” a trauma therapy that uses side-to-side eye movements to help the brain process distress.
Walking yoga ‘tones’ the vagus nerve, she says, a key part of our parasympathetic nervous system (the ‘rest and digest’ mode). Coordinating breath with the walking rhythm activates the vagus nerve, supporting faster stress recovery, better digestion, improved sleep, stronger immunity and greater emotional flexibility.
As mentioned above, it’s also been shown to improve heart health, but has added psychological benefits, too.
This is because it improves heart rate variability (HRV) — the variation in time between heartbeats (which we can now track on a smartwatches) — a sign of resilience. Regular practice increases HRV, helping the body recover from stress more effectively.
Environment is key
While there’s something to be said for the guidance you get in a yoga studio or the comfort of your own home, walking in natural settings, like woodlands and coastal paths, brings added benefits.
Trees release phytoncides — aromatic compounds you can smell — especially in pine- or cedar-rich areas, which “reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and support immune health”, says Tracy.
Read more: 5 yoga poses said to boost fertility (for men and women)
But urban environments offer their own kind of medicine, too. Mindful walking through a town or city can offer what Tracy calls “stillness in motion — presence amid distraction”.
This practice helps you learn how to “anchor your breath and body”, no matter what’s happening around you, which, she says, is a vital skill for resilience.
Putting it into practice
Thanks to having Tracy as my guide, I was armed with detailed instructions and even a bespoke recording, which was gentle and encouraging, based on questions I’d answered beforehand.
Standing outside my flat ready to begin, I almost stumbled at the first hurdle. Tracy’s voice on the recording asked me to set an ‘intention’ for the walk. I panicked, unused to this kind of task or language.
Tracy had anticipated this. Her voice reassured me that there was no right answer, it was simply an invitation to walk with something in mind, which she said could help with anxiety, overwhelm or racing thoughts — a trio I’m familiar with.
After hearing a few example intentions, I finally settled on one: Today, I slow down. Fitting, I thought, given the aforementioned racing thoughts.
Read more: ‘I’m walking straighter, feeling toned and smiling more — here’s what happened when I upped my step count to 20,000 a day’
Before I’d even set off, I caught my first glimpse into walking yoga’s impact. Though initially awkward (I instinctively chose to stand out of sight of strangers), Tracy’s call to “arrive in [my] body” felt easier somehow because I was outside, preparing to start moving.
The rest of the instructions were relatively simple. Choose a familiar route where you can easily find a few places to pause for stationary yoga poses. For me: Tree Pose, Warrior I, Warrior II and Mountain Pose, but you can of course choose whatever poses suit you.
Mindfulness on-the-go
Punctuating stints of walking with these stops for poses, I learned that, crucially, walking yoga is not about rushing. “Just let your feet guide you,” Tracy’s voice urged often. If you’re like me, aimless walking can sometimes feel uncomfortable and purposeless (I often end up inventing errands for myself).
But by adding walking to the mix, I had a simple focus: heel, ball, toe — keeping me composed and feeling like I was making progress, moving forward.
Of course, it’s not that yoga discourages noticing your surroundings or wandering thoughts, but in a typical yoga class I feel pressured to reach a clear ‘meditative’ state of mind. Then, peeping out of one eye, I can’t help but compare myself to those around me when I can’t.
But on these walks, as on the ones during my recent trip, it was freeing to simply notice things — the wind in the trees, raindrops on my head, the smell of damp earth, people walking, a dog panting. If my mind raced, I just came back to the rhythm of my steps: heel, ball, toe.
Read more: ‘Swap the gym for walking’: Nutrition Coach and PT reveals the hidden benefits of hiking
Is walking yoga better than normal yoga?
It’s not that the yoga’s benefits fall short (not that I’ve ever stuck at it long enough to find out anyway), it’s more that the regulating effects of walking yoga are more accessible to me — and not just because you can do it anywhere you want.
Being outside brings space, and walking adds momentum and gives you a rhythm to return to if your thoughts stray. Altogether this removed the pressure, making the practice feel less controlled and more your own.
The best part? You can keep on walking as long as you want, at your own pace, and in your own time. And you don’t have to give up traditional classes altogether — it’s simply a worthwhile alternative or addition to your usual practice.
Feature image: Freepik
