Walking is an activity that, although everyday, can become a deeply musical experience. Our feet, when they touch the ground, create a natural rhythm, a percussion that resonates with each step. This percussion is the soundtrack of our walk, an endless number of cadences that form a unique symphony.
Normally we hear the percussive sound (percussion) of our footsteps, however, sometimes that sound is inaudible. We hear them inside our body, not with the auditory sense but within our bodily interiority. It is an internal rhythm within our body. We make our steps with our own compass (The Compass of Footsteps). It must be considered that the beat is not an appropriate concept for the activity of walking, because it is reserved for music. Well, I would like to mention and emphasize that walking as a natural (instinctive) activity does include musicalization and is therefore performed by marking a beat. And it is a percussive musical beat (percussion). One could still add that as percussive (percussion) it does not entail notes; this is true. Then someone else might still ask: Is it music or is it not music? Of course it is music and it makes us walk with our own unique musical percussion, because it contains a percussive cadence that implies a rhythm (Rhythm and Cadence), but also organization and harmony. In percussive music (percussion) it involves rhythm and time periods. An arrangement that leads to intonation and harmony. It is the series of percussive sounds (percussion) that are performed in a standardized and regular way. The percussive cadence (percussion) in walking also implies the movement that is made with the body to match the intonation (tones) that is produced with the steps. It is the perfect and normal distribution and organization of the sounds generated by the steps and movements of the body as a whole. This cadence when walking can normally be combined with sounds, movements and pauses, in both cadence spheres, which participate in physical and auditory intonation, in full harmony. It is the normal harmonization that the body achieves when walking, when taking steps to a musical rhythm and compass.
Every time our feet hit the ground (Our Feet Percussion), they produce sounds that vary in pitch and intensity. This phenomenon, known as the percussion of our feet, resembles a constant drumming that sets the rhythm of our movement. The music we make when walking is subtle but constant, a melody that accompanies our thoughts and emotions. That is why walking is a source of healing for our morbid emotions (Posts EMOTIONS AND THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM; THE POWER OF EMOTIONS; AUTOLIBERATION OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS THROUGH SELF SUGGESTIONABILITY; FIGHTING NEGATIVE EMOTIONS WITH THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM, SOLUTION TO PROCRASTINATION).
This rhythm is not only perceived externally; it has a deep connection with our body, it has an intrinsic relationship with our organism, as a whole: physical and mental. Walking activates various body systems, from cardiovascular to muscular, promoting blood circulation and improving oxygenation of our tissues. Additionally, the percussion of our feet can resonate with some of our internal organs. For example, a constant, balanced rhythm can help regulate breathing and stabilize heart rate, promoting a general state of well-being.
The footsteps have their own beat, their own rhythm and cadence. This beat can vary depending on the speed and intensity of our walk. A slow, leisurely pace may have a more relaxed, almost meditative beat, while a fast, energetic step has a faster, more vibrant rhythm. Finding our own compass when walking is essential to maintaining good health and enjoying the act of walking.
The rhythm of our walk is defined by the frequency with which we take our steps. Maintaining a constant rhythm helps our body adapt and optimize its functioning. The cadence, on the other hand, is the regularity with which these steps occur. A balanced, natural cadence is crucial to avoiding injury and maximizing the benefits of walking.
Huizinga in his book HOMO LUDENS (p. 222), comments: The same rhythm that “contains” the body, always, from the most remote times, which has manifested itself in the manufacture of food (archaic era), in an instinctive way. , we also observe that it is done by the body, unconsciously (imperceptibly), when walking.
“Sounds are eternal units that reside in the mind, in the interiority of the being, entities that participate in creation when they are emitted by the voice or received by the ear. It seems that someone whispered to us advising that the highest art, the best art, is that which is performed with the greatest number of human senses. And therefore, we could venture to say that the rhythm in corporeal movements has a profound and subtle effect on the preparation of the dishes. That rhythmic faculty, sensation and capacity are determining factors in the being for this. I do not wish to expand further on this, but I do wish to comment that the activities that take place in the kitchen, aimed at preparing food, have always been carried out in the company (association, adhesion) of work songs and tunes (tunes) since ancient times. oldest and in very primitive activities such as mashing, grinding, cutting, kneading, crushing, combining, chopping, beheading, cutting off, mutilating, topping, slicing, carving, mixing, baking, roasting, and all of them surely had a compass, a song, a rhythm, a melody, that accompanied and led them.”(1)
It is truly challenging and motivating to think that we can walk to the rhythm of our own beats.
Generally, when we walk freely we do so at a beat that our body defines unconsciously. When we are not conditioned and forced to a rhythm imposed by the group of people walking next to us, or by the deafening traffic driving a disconcerting dynamic, we can manage to walk – we say – at our own rhythm.
The easiest way to become aware of one’s own beat is to think that our feet can achieve a percussive system (percussion) that is animated by beats that encourage us to do so.
That form will be in compasses of the binary type, where it ends in a pair, and repeating the beat to infinity; however, it will also be possible to make compasses where one of the feet does not settle as well as its pair, and repeating also this beat to infinity.
“A particular habit is a sustained rhythm, where all acts are repeated, fairly exactly equaling their novelty value, but without ever losing that dominant character of being novel” (pp. 61-62). THE INTUITION OF THE INSTANT, F.C.E., Mexico, 1987 (1932 in French), Gaston Bachelard.
Walking with rhythm is pacing our body as if we were instituting (establishing) a musical compass, of any kind, in our walk.
This allows us to put our entire body in motion, as well as each part that makes it up, with a cadence (beat) while we walk.
We have learned that cadence that we use (and use) when walking over millions of years.
“The human being is an integral sum of rhythms” ; “Chronotropisms will be those that integrate habits into that integral sum of rhythms that form the being”, THE INTUITION OF THE INSTANT, F.C.E., Mexico, 1987 (1932 in French), Gaston Bachelard, p. 64, 65.
YIN YANG
We could equate (compare) this harmony that we achieve with walking (with walking) through the analogy with the Chinese Yin and Yang (Post WALKING AND SEXUALITY), which They are two principles that go hand in hand in life, and keep the individual, male or female, in balance – harmonious and dynamic – with their complementary counterpart (Future Post THE PATH OF TAO: ANCESTRAL WISDOM OF WALKING).
“Walking on the shady side of the mountain (YIN) or walking on the sunny side of the mountain (YANG)”, History of Philosophies, 21st century, volume I, p. 233, 237, 255.
YANG: Sure, positive, masculine, active. Cosmological force or active and masculine principle in Taoism. See Yin. Jung, Psychological Types, Volume I, . 290.
Walking with a beat (rhythm, cadence) – any one – is a simile of dynamic balance movement, comparable to maintaining the rhythm (beat, cadence) of life (vital rhythm). That compass that we implement when walking, we always perform – consciously or unconsciously – in order to give our physical organism and its component parts a dynamic strength, and likewise, our mind a stable and harmonious balance.
LEGS AND ARMS IN THE YIN AND YANG
On the other hand, we must point out that walking with our own rhythm implies a synchronization of various parts of the body and fundamentally of the upper and lower extremities. For example, the natural coordination of the movement of the opposite leg and arm, i.e., when the right leg is forward it is done naturally with the left arm, and when the left leg is placed in the forward part of the body it is accompanied by the right arm.
We can compare both legs to these two natural principles: the left leg corresponds to Yin, that is, to the woman, and the right leg relates (refers) to Yang, to the man.
Both parts exercise (work) together when walking, with a certain compass (rhythm, cadence).
As we can see in the previous figures, the right leg and the left arm are balanced forward, while their opposite ones are backward, and vice versa.
Generally speaking, it is unhealthy for the social environment to impose its rhythm on us in all its indications and manifestations: in eating, at work, in transportation, in walking itself, etc.; we must impose our rhythm, and the first thing we have to start with is walking with our own rhythmic cadence, with our own natural walk.
ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS TO WALK IN OUR OWN COMPASS
To walk according to our own beat and ensure that it is healthy, it is important to adopt certain attitudes and actions:
1. Listen to Our Body: Pay attention to how we feel when walking. If we feel tired or in pain, it is important to adjust our pace.
2. Adopt Good Posture: Maintaining an upright and relaxed posture helps you walk more efficiently and avoids unnecessary tension.
3. Breathe Deeply: Deep, regular breathing synchronized with our steps can improve our oxygenation and reduce stress.
4. Wear Appropriate Footwear: Wearing shoes that provide good support and cushioning helps protect our feet and maintain a healthy pace.
5. Practice Mindfulness: Being present in the moment, enjoying the environment and the act of walking, can transform our walk into a more pleasant and meaningful experience (Post WALKING WITH THE TREES).
6. Vary the Terrain and Pace: Changing the terrain (such as walking in parks, beaches or trails) and varying the pace from time to time can make the walk more interesting and beneficial (Post WALKING BAREFOOT. PART I . Types of soil).
In conclusion, the percussion of our feet when walking is an intrinsic melody to our existence, an intimate connection between our body and the environment. Finding and walking at our own compass not only improves our physical health, but also allows us to fully enjoy every step we take.
Let’s go out for a walk with our own compass and listen to how it beats.
(1)Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Cocinopea, EMULISA, México, 2011, p. 9