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It is not a mere physical exercise, but the morning walk with the virgin breeze, makes one feel the nearness to God. This morning time is termed as �Brahma Muhurtha� by the sages of yore. They used to get up in the early hours and walk the long distances to the riversides with their disciples. Some invocations to God were also synchronised with the morning walk. So, it proved a physical exercise as well as a spiritual experience. Let it be known that the morning breeze that touches the face of a man is but the kiss of the creator.

A morning walker reaps rich multiple benefits. While walking, he strengthens the sciatic nerves and the pelvic and the inguinal area in the physical way, in terms of longevity. He thus defies the age. He drinks, the deep-­lying crystal waters of nectar value. Again a morning walker, if rises early also enjoys the sight of the glorious rays of the rising sun called “Aruna Sandhya�. This, he is denied when he sleeps at home. If the walker is religious, on the way, he can stand outside the temple and bow to God and seek His blessings for a good day.

Coming to our times, Gandhiji, the Father of our Nation, gave us the lesson by his example. Starting with his disciples, he would walk in the early hours as he termed it the “Prabhat Bheri�. Morning walk involves early rising and this requires early going to bed too. And Gandhiji said ‘my life is my book�. It is meant to follow Bapuji’s example in this regard. Be it known that an early morning walker helps other members of the family also to wake up early and attend to the family chores. In turn, this exercise becomes not only an individual benefit but a family benefit too.

Let’s come to the benefits of the morning walk. The unpolluted air breathed by the walker exhilarates his spirits and helps him with an increased oxygen intake. The continued habit proves a real boon to the lungs and helps in promoting an active life. Chest diseases like asthma, bronchitis or tuberculosis would not find their way as easily as they would to a normal person.

Looking at it another way, of all living beings only man stands on his two legs and walks, of course, conditioned circus animals excepted. Hence man’s prerogative, his walking on his legs, should be guarded with care to enable him to lead a healthy and happy long life. The help of morning walk zeroes on this, when his period of length of walking is ensured. In a way this helps in promoting self-confidence and mitigates his feeling of dependency on vehicles for short distances.

The two strong nerves located in the two legs and called sciatic nerves are strengthened by the morning walk. This proves of great help not only to the sciatic nerves; finally to the kidneys, lungs and heart.

It is a common prescription by the physicians, to all diabetics, to resort to morning walk. This doubtlessly helps in a great measure to the diabetic to lessen the sugar level and ward off other insidious bad effects of diabetes.

Modern man is very much prone to stress and depression due to the added problems which the competitive mechanised and speedy ways of life bring in. He is crushed under the burden of modern life which the modern age has imposed on man. Locked up in such a life of stress and strain of his individual prison, if he comes out of his house and takes to morning walking, his feelings of stress and depression vanish in no time. Psychologists state that one should change his place when dark moods of helplessness and inability hover on him. The morning walker does exactly this. As he comes out of his house, he gets rid of his log of the previous day. By the morning walk he assures himself a new day, fresh in spirits. Let us recall Gurudev Ravindranath’s song in this respect. He sings ‘Ore�. Grihabasi! Khol dar khol� “you, dweller of the house! Open your doors.�

Sociologically viewed, morning walkers as a group automatically develop a feeling of brotherhood and as a sociological unit. This benefits him not only in physical and mental way, but sociologically too.

Let’s come to the regulations of morning walk. Some insist upon some time duration, some distance and some hour of time in the morning. My opinion is let there be no binding norms. Let the individual decide upon the factors of duration, pace, etc, according to his own physical capacity and let nothing be forced upon him.

It should be left to the pleasure of the individual without the baton of any physician. He does it as per his capacity, no competition no lessons. Patanjali states �Tatha Klesa Karma Nivruthihi�, �Avoid strenuous work.� Let it be done with a pleasure and a song.

Should one mix jogging with morning walk is another question. The answer is let it be decided by the walker’s capacity and no bulldozing.

And what should be the exact time the walking be undertaken, of course, it is but a morning walk. That’s all.

But during my stay in Washington DC, I saw several employees in the midday rest-time running, walking on the pavements, sidewalks, as they call it. Why this? They have only that time convenient for walking.

For them the morning time is too cold. And again they have to rush to their work places in the morning by cars and have to reach on time. And when they return from the offices in the evenings, or night time, they feel, jaded. So to them the midday time, with the pleasant warm weather, is the only time to give exercise to their legs and lungs. Let’s say ‘Be it so�. ‘Something instead of nothing�.

In conclusion, let’s all take to morning walk for its varied benefits. And let us also promote it among the new generation by various methods of propagation.

–Courtesy Morning Walkers� Association Souvenir, Machilipatnam.