Most of us do this at about a year old and don't give it much more thought. I guess people who suffer catastrophic injuries relearn, but I think most of the rest of us just plod on in an extension of our toddling.
A few months ago I read an article where some ignorant sniffy journalist mocked the idea of learning to breathe. I learnt in yoga that I don't breathe properly - I pull my stomach in on an in-breath rather than letting the air fill my diaphragm. This is consistent with what I've learnt about singing, too. This sniffy journalist clearly hadn't experienced singing, playing a woodwind instrument, swimming, or sprint running, all of which depend on breathing.
A chance remark by Ruth on her Coastal Walk Blog made me wonder - she's a GP, so I'm inclined to trust her. Something about good walking technique means bringing down the foot underneath the torso. I was watching a TV programme fronted by Sir Tony 'Baldrick' Robinson, walking through historic countryside. He seems to cover some miles on varied terrain but looks ungainly and splay footed.
So I googled 'How to walk properly'. Google auto-completed it, suggesting it's a common search. Plenty enough articles, some of which look airy-fairy and don't convince me of their credibility.
Why walk? Many articles emphasise the health benefits. These can be overstated - as one commenter noted - are walkers healthier because they walk or do they walk because they are healthier? I try not to absorb 'facts' suggesting you increase your heartbeat by brisk walking for x minutes y times a week to extend your life by z years. On the other hand, I accept that walking improves 'general posture and muscle tone to prevent twisted ankles, calluses and long-term joint damage' from How to walk: A step by step guide in The Daily Telegraph.
I looked at several sites that seemed plausible and they were in consensus. Posture matters.
Fitness Walking Technique and Form from Walking Connection sums it up pithily - Head Up; Swing Your Arms; Use your Feet properly.
The Mayo Clinic has this useful diagram:
Useful, but a bit busy.
In yoga, my teacher tells us to root our feet, distributing the weight between the base knuckles of big toe and little, and heel. I can cope with the toes, but once I think about my heels, I feel as if I'm leaning backwards.
Whenever I walk more than about quarter of a mile, I am conscious of a feeling in the balls of the feet, which increases in intensity the further I walk - from ache to pain to 'Burning Feet'. It doesn't take genius to connect these two facts. My GP has suggested that five years of Yoga will strenthen my core muscles and help with my feet problem - which I think will then help with my knee, hip and back problems.
Walking is a great way to see the scenery, in wild country or an urban park. It is logistically easier than cycling, because of buses and taxis. It's better for photography. But I can't stand walking between A&B in a city, especially not when there are buses and trains. Bores me stupid and makes my feet ache.
I was in the back garden and practised this idea of bringing the foot down on the heel first, then rolling the foot forward to take off from the ball. It feels very odd. I think - I can't be sure, because scrutinising it leads to change in behaviour - that I habitually come down on the ball of the foot. Perhaps that is at least part of the cause of my bad feet (and ankles, knees, hips and back).
Now the question is, will I learn? Can I retrain my muscle memory to discard decades of bad habit? I think I can manage good posture. I suspect arm swinging will come quite naturally when i start to think about? But it's going to be difficult to learn how t come down on my heels. Not just when I'm out 'Walking' but even around the home and office, for example when walking to the loo or pacing around in pent-up frustration.
We shall see.
