There is a precise way to walk correctly and I meet very few people who know that. Almost everyone takes walking for granted which amazes me considering that the way we walk and move through the world has a profound effect on the way we feel and the way we age.
To walk correctly the body follows a specific pattern that is predicated on making good use of gravity and the psoas major. The body falls forward and catches itself over and over again when we walk correctly and a willingness to fall is less ingrained then you would imagine. If we are willing to fall the psoas major muscle will catch us.
Good use of the psoas is predicated on good skeletal alignment and a solid yet supple trunk (the core in CoreWalking). This determines how well anyone will be able to move because the ideal walk involves a trunk strong enough to remain upright above the pelvis. This is easier said than done as any imbalance in the trunk makes truly smooth ambulation difficult. Legs that walk correctly move directly under the hips with the knee tracking in line with the ankle. Imbalances in the muscles of the hips and legs interfere with this type of alignment most often pulling the knees sideways.
Rotation is essential if you want to walk correctly. Every step is a spinal twist as forces on both sides of the body work to counter all of the work necessary for movement. The trunk sits on top of legs that keep switching forward and back. As one leg and hip come forward the pelvis rotates to accommodate the switching of the legs. The shoulder girdle rotates in the opposite direction to accommodate the turning of the pelvis and maintain balance. Each step is meant to me an exact mirror of the one before it. When the two sides don’t mirror each other we appear to be limping.
Choosing to walk correctly or learning to walk correctly can provide amazing benefits and it isn’t all that hard. But it is a conscious practice that requires a modicum of effort.
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