WALK-RWD SYSTEM: TOWARD A COMMUNITY PARADIGM. PART 1 OF 2

The Formal Dual Framework of the System

For nearly two five-year cycles, the WALK-RWD System has been practiced and developed from its organic dimension: walking as a structured physiological act capable of activating, harmonizing, and optimizing the functions of the human body.

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However, the natural evolution of its functional configuration has led us toward a broader scope of impact—one that extends into the collective sphere.

This is not a reduction or modification of its biological foundation; it is its necessary complement.

Today, we formally present the Dual Framework of the WALK-RWD System: an architecture that integrates its original physiological dimension with a community dimension. This step does not represent a change in essence. It manifests structural evolution.

I. The First Architecture: The Vertical Axis (Physiological Dimension)

The WALK-RWD System is grounded in five Physiological Principles (Post THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM):

  1. Principle of Symmetry
  2. Principle of Dynamic Balance
  3. Energetic Principle of Perturbation
  4. Principle of Verticality
  5. Principle of Rhythm, Measure, and Cadence

These principles affirm that walking is not merely a mechanical act, but an essential organic condition of high systemic complexity—one that has accompanied the human being since origin—activating:

  • The brain
  • Organic systems
  • Structural motor and neural coordination
  • Dynamic balance
  • Integral functional efficiency
  • Cognitive and emotional stability

The human body, organized around its vertical axis, finds in walking a form of natural optimization.

This physiological dimension strengthens the individual.

It is the vertical axis of the System.

II. The Second Architecture: The Horizontal Axis (Community Dimension)

The human being is not only organism.

It is also territory, belonging, relationship, instinct. (Post WALKING AND INSTINCTS)

The Dual Framework incorporates a structured community dimension, based on four operational principles:

  1. Territory as Identity Reading
  2. Rooted Participation as Living Rhythm
  3. Documentation as Community Organ
  4. From Awareness to Activation as Transferable Objective

Here, walking ceases to be exclusively physiological and becomes relational.

This is not about walking in crowds.

Not about marches or demonstrations.

The System proposes:

  • Individual walks
  • Walks of micro-groups (maximum three persons)
  • Subsequent gathering in defined community spaces
  • Structured dialogue and symmetrical listening
  • Transforming territorial experience into reading, writing, and visual-graphic representation

Community is not imposed; it is constructed horizontally.

This community dimension strengthens the social fabric.

It is the horizontal axis of the System.

III. The Point of Convergence: Walking as a Primordial Act

Walking is the foundational activity of both architectures.

While the body organizes itself vertically, community may organize itself horizontally.

Internal stability achieved through the WALK-RWD System fosters external social cohesion.

The System integrates both dimensions within one primordial act, composed of four essential activities:

Walking.

Reading.

Writing.

Drawing.

Together, they form an integral human exercise of self-structuring and collective expression.

IV. Toward a New Community Paradigm

The Dual Framework does not seek to replace institutions or generate parallel hierarchies.

It proposes strengthening “human infrastructure” at both levels.

A cohesive community does not arise from vertical imposition, but from participatory symmetry.

The first Physiological Principle of the System is Symmetry.

The community dimension translates that symmetry into the social plane. Each voice aligns within the horizontal axis.

Besides, each member carries rhythm and contributes to collective cadence; and, each territory carries its own identity reading.

V. The Fractal Model of Community

As a future projection of the Dual Framework, the WALK-RWD System will formally develop a Fractal Model of Community (Future Post THE FRACTAL MODEL OF COMMUNITY. PART 2 OF 2)

Why fractal?

Because community is not a homogeneous mass.

It is composed of interconnected scales:

  • Individual
  • Micro-group
  • Local nucleus
  • Expanded community
  • Territorial network

Each scale replicates similar structural principles:

Symmetry.

Dynamic balance.

Own rhythm.

Interdependence.

Just as the human body is organized in levels (cells, tissues, organs, systems), community may be understood as a relational organism composed of multiple community sub-axes.

The Fractal Model will allow WALK-RWD to be implemented in diverse social contexts—educational, environmental, civic—without altering its internal coherence.

This development will be presented in direct dialogue with institutions interested in strengthening social cohesion, community resilience, and structured territorial participation.

VI. A New Stage of the System

The WALK-RWD System reinforces and expands its physiological root.

It projects it toward its natural consequence: horizontal social organization.

Walking, the primordial human act, may become the foundation of:

  • Territorial awareness
  • Shared identity
  • Community cohesion
  • Participatory symmetry
  • Sustainable social infrastructure

This marks the beginning of a new stage.

A paradigm where physical movement and social organization do not contradict one another, but complement each other.

Where the vertical axis of the body and the horizontal axis of community meet.

Where walking ceases to be mere displacement, and becomes human architecture.

Let us walk every day —as individuals, as citizens— toward a horizontally structured community society.

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HEALING THROUGH MOVEMENT EPIGENETICS AND THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM. POST 2 OF 4.

“The steps we take today resonate in the footprints of those who walked before. And in every step, we can heal what still hurts in their memories.”

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We all carry stories in our bodies that we did not live.

Pains that do not belong to us.

Decisions marked by echoes of times we did not inhabit.

This is not a metaphor: it is epigenetics(1).

A field of science that has demonstrated how the traumas, emotions, and intense experiences of our ancestors can leave marks on the expression of our genes, inherited generation after generation. They do not change the DNA itself, but they do change its behavior. And this affects how we feel, how we think, how we fall ill… and how we walk through life.

But epigenetics is not a life sentence. It is a bridge.

And the body, through movement, can cross it in the opposite direction: from the wound to liberation.

Movement as Biological Reprogramming

The body does not just remember: it rewrites.

Movement, especially ritualized walking, is not just physical: it is a language that speaks to the nervous system, the immune system, and… the lineage.

When you walk with intention, with proportion(2), with rhythm, with measure, with cadence, and with openness (Posts ENJOYING OUR PERCUSSIVE MUSICAL WALKING, RHYTHM, COMPASS AND CADENCE IN OUR WALKING, TOPOLOGESIC WALKING, PROPORTIONALISM AND THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM, PART I, PROPORTIONALISM AND THE WALK-RWD SYSTEM, PART II; future Post: PERSONALITY DEFINED BY WALKING RHYTHM-BODY):

  • Somatic patterns are activated that “dialogue” with what has been inherited.
  • The automatic cycle of traumatic repetition is interrupted.
  • New neural, emotional, and epigenetic connections are generated.

Every conscious step is an act of intergenerational healing.

WALK-RWD + AI: Paths toward Collective Healing

The WALK-RWD system does not just propose walking, but walking with knowledge.

And in this new era, knowing does not mean being alone: artificial intelligence can accompany you.

How?

AI as an epigenetic mirror:

  • It detects repetitive patterns of thought and emotion, often inherited.
  • It integrates your walking narratives and bodily sensations to create personal somatic maps.
  • It suggests personalized therapeutic walks based on your rhythms, family history, and environment.
  • It connects you with similar testimonials, weaving a network, community, and resonance.

Imagine an application where you record your daily walking and which, over time, graphically shows you which emotions emerge, where they repeat, and what changes are occurring in your bodily and emotional language.

That is the alliance between AI and the body: a walking therapy—adaptive, profound.

Ritual Exercise: “Walking with those who inhabit me”

  1. Before heading out, close your eyes and repeat:

“I walk for myself and for those who walked before. I take a step for every story that still needs peace.”

  1. Begin your walk without haste.
  2. Allow names, images, and family symbols to emerge.
  3. Observe what physical sensations are awakened. Tension? Lightness? Tears?
  4. If the impulse arises, repeat in a low voice: “I no longer carry this. I leave it here, walking.”
  5. Upon finishing, draw a symbol, write a word, or record a voice note. Keep the record.

Repeat this exercise every week and keep a diary of sensations and dreams. Somatic memory has its own language.

Collective Healing: Beyond the Individual

WALK-RWD proposes not only personal transformation but community reprogramming.

Because what is inherited is shared, and what is healed is shared as well.

If thousands of people walk with awareness, if the somatic data of each individual is lovingly integrated by intelligent systems… we can map collective pain and move together toward a new humanity.

One where the body and the machine cooperate rather than clash.

One where the inherited wound becomes a path of lucidity.

Voice of Living Memory

“I never met my great-grandmother, but during my second ritual walk, I felt her presence. I walked while crying. It wasn’t sadness: it was liberation.”

— Marta R., 37 years old

“I am a therapist and I thought I had worked through everything. Until I walked for five days with WALK-RWD. Stories appeared that I didn’t know lived within me. The ancestral is alive in the body.”

— Carlos E., 50 years old

Technology and Spirit: A New Alliance

For centuries, we thought that healing was the task of shamans, doctors, or psychologists.

Today, we discover that conscious movement, enhanced by humanized artificial intelligence, can open paths of collective and profound healing.

It is no longer the time to repeat wounds:

it is time to walk differently,

so that those who come after inherit lightness, rhythm, presence, and freedom.

And you? What story did you not live that still inhabits your body?

Walk with it.

Walk for it.

And allow movement to transform it.

(1) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Epigenetics of Walking, EMULISA, México, 2026. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMRZ795Y

(2) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Proporcionalismo. Una Nueva Teoría de la Realidad, (Proportionalism: A New Theory of Reality), EMULISA, Mexico, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GG5Y4X93

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THE SACRED MAYAN CENOTES AND ASTRAL WALKING. PART 1 OF 2

The cenotes located in the Mayan Region, throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, are a fundamental element of the Mayan culture and offer a fascinating field of study to explore the relationship between man, nature and the cosmos.

These cenotes were much more than water sources for the Mayans; they represented “doors to the underworld”, places of worship, and were key to their religious beliefs and rituals. Today, many of these cenotes are also important tourist attractions and sites of historical interest.

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The Sacred Mayan Cenotes: Walking towards their Underground World

Cenotes, natural freshwater sinks, were considered by the ancient Mayans as gateways to the underground world, Xibalbá, where the gods of death and the underworld lived.

There are hundreds of these “gateways” to Xibalbá, which were vital for survival in this hot and dry region, which also acquired a deep spiritual meaning. The most important ones are mentioned below, which can be visited at the present time.

1. Sacred Cenote of Chichen Itza

• Location: Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: Approximately 60 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep.

o Water depth: It varies, but can reach up to 13 meters.

o Uses: Mainly used for religious rituals. Valuable objects have been found at its bottom, indicating that it was an important site for offerings to the gods.

2. Cenote Zací

• Location: Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: Approximately 45 meters in diameter.

o Water depth: Around 30 meters.

o Uses: It was an important cenote for obtaining water. Today it is a popular tourist site.

3. Cenote Xkekén (Dzitnup)

• Location: Dzitnup, near Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: Small, with a cavern approximately 20 meters in diameter.

o Water depth: Around 15 meters.

o Uses: Known for its natural beauty, the Xkekén cenote is famous for its central stalactite and the light that penetrates through a hole in the ceiling, creating a spectacular effect.

4. Cenote Ik Kil

• Location: Near Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: Approximately 60 meters in diameter.

o Water depth: Approximately 40 meters.

o Uses: In addition to being sacred, Ik Kil is a very popular tourist cenote, known for its clear waters and the vegetation that surrounds it. Historically, it was also used for ceremonies and rituals.

5. Samula Cenote

• Location: Dzitnup, near Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: Similar in size to Xkekén.

o Water depth: Approximately 10 meters.

o Uses: This cenote is famous for its underground environment and the light that enters through an opening in the ceiling, creating a mystical atmosphere. It is a tourist site and has fewer documented connections with Mayan rituals.

6. Sacred Cenote of Xibalbá

• Location: Cuzamá area, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: They vary depending on the cenote, since this is a network of cenotes.

o Water depth: Fluctuates between 10 and 20 meters.

o Uses: It is a tourist site.

7. Cenote Dzonbacal

• Location: Yaxcabá, near Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico.

•             Characteristics:

o Dimensions: Relatively small.

o Water depth: Unknown, but it is not very deep.

o Uses: Mainly used by the Mayans for local rituals and ceremonies. Important archaeological remains have been found in this cenote.

Archaeoastronomy and cenotes

The Mayans were expert astronomers and their knowledge of the cosmos is reflected in the orientation of their cities and structures. Cenotes, being considered doors to the underground world, were also linked to celestial movements.

• Astronomical alignments: It is considered that many cenotes were strategically linked to align with important astronomical events, such as solstices and equinoxes.

• Mayan calendar: The Mayans developed a complex calendar system based on the observation of the stars. They used the cenotes, in some moments and circumstances, from their astronomical observations as terrestrial landmarks for their mathematical calculations.

• Mayan worldview: Cenotes were seen as a connection between the three Mayan worlds: heaven (upper world), earth (middle world) and the underworld (lower world)[1].

White roads, ceremonial centers and pyramids

The white roads, which connected the ceremonial centers and the Mayan pyramids, were more than simple communication routes (Post THE ANCIENT MAYANS AND THEIR WHITE ROADS. PART I), they were sacred routes that symbolized the cosmic roads and connected the different levels of the Mayan universe, using in these terrestrial configurations, the Sacred Cenotes as “entrance doors” to the Underworld.

• Walking as a ritual: Walking along these paths was a ritual act that allowed the Mayans to connect with the spiritual world and participate in religious ceremonies.[1]

• The cenote as a destination: The cenotes, as access points to the underground world, were important destinations in these pilgrimages.

• Astral walking: The idea of “astral walking” suggests that the Mayans conceived the movements of the stars as a kind of cosmic pilgrimage. The white roads and cenotes were symbolic representations of these celestial journeys.

Walking and the sacred Mayan cenotes

The relationship between walking and the sacred Mayan cenotes is deep and complex. The act of walking to a cenote was much more than a physical movement; it was a spiritual journey that connected the individual with the cosmos and with their ancestors (Future Post THE SACRED MAYAN CENOTES AND THE RITUALS OF INITIATION. PART 2 OF 2).

• Purification: The water from the cenotes was considered sacred and was used for purification rituals. By walking towards a cenote, the Mayans prepared to come into contact with the spiritual world.

• Connection with nature: Cenotes were considered manifestations of the vital force of nature. Walking towards them allowed the Mayans to establish a deep connection with the natural environment.

• Transformation: The trip to a cenote was a process of spiritual transformation. By immersing themselves in its waters, individuals were reborn and connected with their divine essence.

The Sacred Mayan Cenotes were much more than just bodies of water. They were sacred places where the Mayans established a deep connection between the 3 cosmological levels. Walking to these places was a ritual act that allowed individuals to experience a spiritual transformation and connect with the very essence of life (Future Post THE SACRED MAYAN CENOTES AND THE RIRUALS OF INITIATION. PART 2 OF 2).

Taking a walk along one of those white paths that connects with a Sacred Cenote will be an unforgettable adventure, which will project us back to those times of that ancient culture.

[1] Loya Lopátegui, Carlos, The Wheel in Mayan Culture. Exploring an Ancient Mystery, EMULISA, Mexico, 2024. Version available on Amazon. Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJV7151Y

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DISCURSIVE AND POETICAL PILGRIMAGE

The primordial pilgrimage was and continues to be a human manifestation to pray and meditate (Post THE PILGRIMAGE, AN ANCIENT PRACTICE OF WALKING); prayer is the means of communicating with the sanctities and their divinities, while the pilgrimage we are analyzing is discursive, that is, it is a resource that is used to transmit literary and poetic aspects to the rest of the pilgrims. I qualified it as discursive because I want to emphasize that the rhapsodes sought a meditative, complex, brooding, prolonged and extensive communication during their walks.

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Their practice was carried out upon returning from traditional pilgrimages. A “WAY RETURN” of each pilgrimage during which they harangued (preaching, sermonizing, admonishing, proclaiming) and orally exposing thoughts, poems, speeches, literary passages, epistles, reflections, narratives, etc.

A combination of walking and poetry, which the pilgrim poets managed to organize and harmonize. Poetry and a pilgrimage, which in reality also combined other essential aspects: walking, speaking out loud, the customs of imitation and contact magic (Post THE PILGRIMAGE, AN ANCIENT PRACTICE OF WALKING ), mystical experiences, contemplation (1), meditation, etc.

The discursive pilgrimage is a literary and spiritual experience that consists of a journey walking along physical paths in which the rhapsode, through poetry or some other literary medium, explores physical and emotional landscapes, seeking answers to existential questions and transcending limits of everyday reality.

The roots of discursive pilgrimage lie in the ancient traditions of pilgrims who traveled to sacred places in search of spiritual enlightenment. Poetry, as a universal language, has always been a vehicle to express these transcendental experiences.

The pilgrim seeks something beyond himself, an ultimate truth or a connection with the divine. Through the pilgrimage, the poet experiences a personal and spiritual transformation.

Discursive pilgrimage always involves a physical movement to sacred places or sanctuaries; it has been an ancient practice that has inspired countless poets throughout history. This type of trip, by combining the physical practice of walking with the spiritual search, has given rise to experiences and teachings of great value and mystical depth. Its most relevant characteristics are:

  • Physical experience: The poet immerses himself in a physical journey, walking long distances and facing the challenges along the way.
  • Connection with nature: Direct contact with nature, landscapes and elements provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
  • Spiritual search: The pilgrim seeks a transcendent experience, a deeper connection with himself and with the rest of his fellow pilgrims.
  • Poetic record: Generally, the experiences of the pilgrimage and the paths traveled are transformed into verses, creating a poetic diary that reflects the emotions, reflections and transformations of the pilgrims.

Specific Cases of Discursive Pilgrimages

  • El Camino de Santiago: One of the best-known routes traveled by poets of all times.
  • Sufi pilgrimages: Sufi poets have made long pilgrimages to sacred places such as Mecca, seeking union with God through love and poetry.
  • Beat poets: Some beat poets have made trips to India and other exotic places in search of spiritual experiences and new forms of poetic expression.
  • Contemporary poets: Many contemporary poets continue to make pilgrimages of this type, seeking in this experience a way to reconnect with their roots and nature.

Why are poets attracted to this type of travel?

  • Inspiration: The path offers an infinite number of images, sounds and sensations that stimulate creativity.
  • Introspection: The isolation and solitude of the road favor reflection and self-knowledge.
  • Connection to tradition: By following ancient routes, poets connect with a rich history and literary tradition.
  • Personal improvement: The path is a physical and mental challenge that allows the poet to overcome his limits and grow as a person.

Today, this type of pilgrimage is a valid and relevant form of expression. Many contemporary poets use this resource to search and find literary experiences by taking a journey, real or imaginary, through the written word. This version is called Poetic Pilgrimage, and it can take various forms:

  • Physical journey: The poet undertakes a journey to a significant place, whether it is a sacred place, a natural landscape, or a city with a historical past.
  • Inner journey: The poet immerses himself in his own inner world, exploring his memories, his emotions and his dreams.
  • Journey through words: The poet creates his own poetic universe, where words are the vehicles that transport him to different realities.

In Post THE PILGRIMAGE, AN ANCIENT PRACTICE OF WALKING, I expressed: “The Mahayana (philosophy of emptiness) led Buddhism towards a reflective and dissertation pilgrimage (Post THE PATH OF VACUITY). What I want to emphasize is that this type of “DISCURSIVE OR POETIC PILGRIMAGE” has been carried out since time immemorial; it could be said that since the pilgrimages were forged, it emerged at his side.

An argument that explains their birth is that these pilgrim poets, with the purpose of highlighting the transmission of the magic of IMITATION and a magic of CONTACT, which they had received through their contact with the mystical and spirituality in the sanctuary they visited, had the need to retransmit it.

As I mentioned in Post THE PILGRIMAGE, AN ANCIENT PRACTICE OF WALKING, “Pilgrimage is WALKING, and a magic of IMITATION and a magic of CONTACT is achieved, which allows them to have the power to communicate with divinity. The magic of CONTACT is performed because the divinity with which the pilgrims will communicate left their energy (things, remains, miracles, etc.) in the locus-sanctuary where the pilgrims will arrive to receive that emergy and power. But their physical approach to the sanctuary is only achieved by walking and upon arriving in this way they can make physical-spiritual contact in the sanctuary, to be able to communicate spiritually. Mystical communication is achieved.

Two mystical-artistic aspects by which the pilgrim poets were guided:

1º.-Poets who traveled great distances to say poems to people, out loud.

They combined poetry out loud with walking: The journeys of the different poets in their aforementioned eras, singing their own and other people’s poems, and infinite walking. They traveled along paths and the streets of the different towns where they went to say their poems aloud. A true poetic pilgrimage out loud. These poetic pilgrims were the minstrels, the aedos, rhapsodes, troubadours.

2nd.-Religious pilgrims, some of whom were also poets or lovers of poetry, and liked to say it out loud, and once charged with the strength obtained in the sanctuaries they visited, they transmitted it to the people they contacted to transmit their truth, mysticism, how to reach God, and also “sing” his favorite poems.

Below I explain the essential reasons why the poets tried to retransmit that mystical force (magic of IMITATION and magic of CONTACT) obtained in the sanctuaries visited.

Sanctuaries are raised and erected because:

  • The deity that is venerated had an appearance – or several –
  • A simple relic (thing or small body part) of the divine person being venerated was found.
  • An important relic (important part of the body) of the divine person being venerated was found.
  • The performance of a miracle is attributed to the divinity or saint that is venerated
  • It is a holy place that for some reason is venerated to that divinity
  • He passed through that place and they turned it into a sanctuary.
  • He is credited with carrying out individual and collective healings by coming into his presence.

Let us develop our own pilgrimage, and whether with our own poems or those of some poet; let’s walk and transmit all kinds of emotions and joys, through words, out loud.

Let’s make the landscapes, objects and characters that appear in the poems acquire a symbolic meaning; Let’s make the language we use rich in images and metaphors, and achieve an intense sensory and emotional experience.

(1)Loya Lopátegui, Carlos, Digital Synergy: Meditation and Contemplation are Boosted by AI, EMULISA, Mexico, 2025. Available on Amazon. Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0D9WCKC33

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HOMETOITER: THE DOG AS AN EVOLUTIONARY MIRROR OF HUMAN WALKING. WALKING: A VITAL FUNCTION

For years, I have written about walking.

I have done so from everyday experience, from intuition, and from the slow observation of the body and the world as we advance step by step. Along that journey—which has been not only physical but intellectual—I began to formulate an idea that I called HOMO-ITER some years ago: the walking man of the future.

In those posts, written around 2020 (HOMO-ITER: MAN-WALKER. PART I; and HOMO-ITER: MAN-WALKER. PART II), I proposed that the human being of tomorrow would not be the fastest, nor the most technological, nor the most sedentarily “efficient,” but rather the one who recovered walking as the axis of their biological, cognitive and ethical life. I didn’t know it clearly then, but that idea wasn’t just a metaphor: it was an evolutionary intuition.

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Today, after a long process of observation, measurement, systematization and reflection, that intuition has taken shape as a conceptual and scientific model: HOMETOITER (1).

From the intuitive HOMO-ITER to the HOMETOITER Scientific Model

HOMETOITER is a concept that integrates three inseparable dimensions:

  • HOMEO → balance, regulation, homeostasis
  • ETO → conduct, repetition, vital stability, ethology
  • ITER → walking, moving, traversing the world

The model proposes a very clear central hypothesis:

Walking is not an optional activity or a prescribed exercise, but a basal vital function that regulates the biological, behavioral, and cognitive balance of the human being.

This hypothesis does not emerge from a laboratory, but from something much closer and, paradoxically, much more forgotten: the observation of the dog.

Why the dog?

Because the dog does not walk to “exercise.”

The dog walks because that is how it lives.

A dog walks to:

  • regulate its energy,
  • read its surroundings,
  • process information,
  • stabilize its behavior,
  • maintain its emotional balance,
  • exist.

When a dog does not walk, it falls ill. Not only physically, but behaviorally: anxiety, aggression, compulsions, disorientation. Veterinary medicine and ethology know this well.

The inevitable question is:

Why do we believe that something different happens to human beings?

Here lies a central idea of the essay:

The dog is the evolutionary mirror of human walking.

Not because humans should “imitate” dogs, but because the dog has kept intact a relationship with movement that the human being has fragmented and medicalized.

Sedentarism as an evolutionary rupture

Modernity has reduced walking to three limited categories:

  1. Exercise
  2. A healthy habit
  3. A medical prescription

In none of these is walking understood as a vital function. Sedentarism, on the other hand, has been culturally normalized, even though it contradicts our deepest biology.

The HOMETOITER model posits that sedentarism is not just a lifestyle problem, but an evolutionary rupture, comparable to depriving a cursorial animal of movement.

From this perspective, many contemporary pathologies—both human and canine—can be read as symptoms of prolonged immobility, rather than individual failings.

Walking is not just moving: it is reading the world

One of the most important axes of the essay is understanding walking as a primitive form of cognition.

The dog does it through smell.

The human does it through gaze, balance, and bodily memory.

Walking is:

  • interpreting the environment,
  • building territory,
  • ordering experience,
  • thinking with the body.

Before writing, before measuring, before calculating, we walked. And by doing so, the world became legible.

HOMETOITER: An ethics of life

The model does not propose returning to the past or idealizing nomadism, but rather reintegrating walking as the regulatory axis of modern life (2). This has profound implications:

  • in health,
  • in education,
  • in urban planning,
  • in the human-animal relationship,
  • in our very idea of progress.

Walking stops being an option and becomes, once again, a biological and ethical necessity.

The dog reminds us of what we are

Perhaps the greatest contribution of this essay is not theoretical, but existential:

The dog does not argue whether walking is good or bad.

It does not justify it.

It does not schedule it.

It simply goes out and walks.

And in doing so, it reminds us—with silent faithfulness—of the life that still pulses within us, waiting to be reclaimed.

Exhortation

HOMETOITER is not just a concept.

It is an invitation.

To walk with greater awareness.

To look at the dog not as a pet, but as an evolutionary companion.

To recognize that many of our “intuitions” were, in reality, profound truths waiting to be formulated.

Perhaps the future of the human being is not in walking faster,

but in learning to walk well again.

(1) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, HOMETOITER. El Perro como Espejo Evolutivo del Caminar Humano (The Dog as the Evolutionary Mirror of Human Walking), EMULISA, Mexico, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0GCC4FX2Z

(2) Loya Lopategui, Carlos, Walking: Future of Humanity, EMULISA, Mexico, 2025. Available on Amazon, Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPYXKZ6J

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