Wise Walk is a new way to grow wiser and move more in 2024.
Page Contents:
Introducing “Wise Walk”: Growing Wiser while Moving More in 2024
The Spark
I recently updated this post about MEDS (Meditation, Exercise, Diet, Sleep), and it got me thinking…
Diet & Sleep:
I feel pretty good about my diet and sleep at the moment (quitting alcohol and caffeine, completely revamping my sleep to go to bed 3 hours earlier and wake up earlier, etc).
Meditation & Exercise:
I feel less good about meditation and exercise. I know I need to be getting more steps each day. Many people have heard about aiming for 10,000 steps/day, but the book The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal says:
“Other experiments in the U.S. and the UK have forced moderately active adults to become sedentary for a period of time, only to watch their well-being wither. Regular exercisers who replace physical activity with a sedentary activity for two weeks become more anxious, tired, and hostile. When adults are randomly assigned to reduce their daily step count, 88 percent become more depressed. Within one week of becoming more sedentary, they report a 31 percent decline in life satisfaction. The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961.”
Most days, I don’t think I hit 5,649 steps (sometimes it’s not even close). So, I want to consistently increase my daily step count next year. But, I also want to look forward to it—especially on those cold / dark / rainy / snowy days where I definitely don’t want to do it. So, I’m going to combine meditation + exercise in what I’m calling a daily “wise walk” (yes, I know this isn’t technically “meditation”—for true meditation, you could always add on some extra walking, or sitting when you get back home).
What is Wise Walk?
For 30 minutes/day for 366 days (2024 is a leap year), I’m going to listen to audio/video of a spiritual teacher while I’m walking.
How it works:
In a nutshell: I’ll curate 52 spiritual teachers (1 new teacher every week for 30 mins/day = 3.5 hours of teachings per teacher). It will be a sort of “spiritual sampler” to get a taste of a vast variety of teachings, and maybe you’ll even discover a new favorite teacher or two. I’ll build the suggested curriculum and source all the teachings from publicly available sources like YouTube, Spotify, etc. And, I’ll take timestamped screenshots of key teachings while walking and then transcribe/share takeaways when I get home. By joining, you get access to everything and participate in your own daily wise walks with me!
Sampling of spiritual teachers (final list TBD): Anthony de Mello, Bernadette Roberts, Michael Singer, Sharon Salzberg, Alan Watts, Joan Halifax, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joan Tollifson, Eckhart Tolle, Tara Brach, Adyashanti, Byron Katie, Ram Dass, Gangaji, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Pema Chodron, Swami Sarvapriyananda, Caroline Myss, Rupert Spira, Diane Musho Hamilton, Francis Lucille, Anandamayi Ma, Jean Klein, Cheri Huber, Ramana Maharshi, Mirra Alfassa, Sri Aurobindo, Amoda Maa, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Teresa of Avila, Douglas Harding, Lisa Cairns, Richard Lang, Loch Kelly, Rob Burbea, Daniel Ingram, Robert Adams, Tony Parsons, Jim Newman, David Loy, Richard Rohr, Marshall Davis, AH Almaas, Richard Rose, HWL Poonja (Papaji), Lao Tzu, Annamalai Swami, Thomas Merton, Paramahansa Yogananda, Shunryu Suzuki, DT Suzuki, Shinzen Young, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and more.
Everything will be shared in a private space within the Sloww Society community:
Sample week:
What are Wise Walkers saying?
“I am definitely in for the daily ‘wise walk’ in 2024. I think it’s a fantastic idea to combine meditation and exercise, and I’m excited to explore different teachings from spiritual teachers while walking. Additionally, the accountability and encouragement provided through the Sloww Society community is a great incentive. Count me in!”
Naya D.
Wise Walker“You are amazing, and your work means so much to me. If you are telling us that you will walk every day of the year, I gotta be supportive of this! You inspire me in many ways. Thank you so much.”
Katherine C.
Wise Walker“Perfect! I’ve been thinking a lot about including walking in my life. This sounds like great way to achieve this. I’m in!”
Adam S.
Wise Walker“I am DEFINITELY IN!! Thank you for the opportunity.”
Leah P.
Wise Walker“I like it for the walking, spiritual learning, accountability, and community. You are also making it easier by providing teachers and summarizing takeaways. I’ll go for this.”
Rachel B.
Wise Walker“I’ll end up doing a ‘wise walk’ because that’s where I’ve been headed with my walking. I regularly listen to podcasts; sometimes for knowledge, language learning or other. Thanks for the checkup, and the motivation to continue and journal my walks going forward.”
Larry F.
Wise Walker“I would definitely be interested in this! Feels like an achievable and actionable way to get in two of my goals, similar to you.”
Jade E.
Wise Walker“I’m in, thank you! What a marvelous idea.”
Katherine F.
Wise Walker“I would LOVE to participate in the wise walk 2024! Walking and sharing positive healing thoughts with people from all walks and locations of the universe may be the missing link for me. I sent my thoughts out to the universe for opportunities to partake in that would aid in my healing and then received my first message (this invitation for the wise walk sent to me about 24 hours later). Thank you for all you do!”
Stephanie R.
Wise Walker“I would love to do this! I generally do a 30 min walk midday but would love the curriculum you are thinking about to make these even more intentional.”
Matt K.
Wise Walker“This is wonderful! Perfectly manageable and achievable. Thank you for doing this!”
Claire E.
Wise Walker“Tough challenge. But got to start someplace. I think the 30 minute agreement, when it develops into a habit, will be very helpful.”
Verinder S.
Wise WalkerFAQs:
1. What’s the cost?
- $95 for non-members, or $75 for Sloww Premium members (a coupon code is already posted in the Sloww Society community for you). This would get you access to a private space in the Sloww Society community that will be used for real-time accountability and encouragement throughout the year, where I would share the upcoming teachings for the week and daily notes, a synthesis of the best-of-the-best teachings at the end of the year, etc. If you aren’t a Sloww Premium member, you’ll get access to the other spaces in the Sloww Society community as well (just not the Premium content spaces).
2. When does it start/end?
- Wise Walk 2024 will run from Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 (366 days since it’s a leap year). Non-Premium members who are participating will have access to the Sloww Society community (excluding Premium content areas) until Jan 15, 2025.
3. What time of day should I walk?
- Whenever it works best for you. Personally, I’ll probably try to build a habit of going right after lunch or around 3pm (at least in the colder months to take advantage of the sun’s warmth and when I have a natural dip in afternoon energy).
4. Do I have to walk, or can I do a different activity (especially if it’s rainy/snowy outside)?
- Walking is what I’d say is the minimum viable activity, but it’s totally fine if you’d rather run, bike, or do something else. Remember, the ultimate aim is: growing wiser and moving more in 2024.
5. What if I miss a day?
- I’m sure some people will miss days throughout the year here and there based on personal schedules. No worries, you can either skip that day and pick up the next or go for a 60-minute walk the next day if you want to listen to the missed day’s teaching and catch up.
6. When will teachings be published?
- My plan is to post the coming week’s teachings on Saturdays or Sundays. We’ll run each week beginning on Mondays (so a week is Mon-Sun).
7. What if I don’t like the teacher/teaching that day/week?
- If a teacher/teaching doesn’t resonate, feel free to listen to something else of your own choosing that day/week. The curriculum I come up with can be considered “suggested teachings.”
8. Why not fewer teachers (e.g. 26 instead of 52)?
- I considered 26 teachers (biweekly), but I feel like one per week gives people something new to look forward to each week. If it was biweekly and someone doesn’t resonate with a teacher, that could be a long two-week grind until the next one.
9. Will we be listening to the same content/recordings you are?
- Yes, I will curate all teachers/teachings from publicly available sources like YouTube, Spotify, etc. That being said, streaming 30 mins/day of audio/video while walking could impact your phone’s data plan, so please be aware of this. If you have limited data each month, you may want to walk and then listen/watch at home on wifi before or after walking.
10. What if I’m having trouble staying consistent and motivated 3/6/9 months in?
- Share your struggles and leverage the community for accountability and encouragement!
11. This all sounds great, but what if I have buyer’s remorse and want a refund?
- No hard feelings. Send me an email at kyle(at)sloww(dot)co within 30 days of the initial purchase with your name, email address you used to sign up, and reason for the requested refund.
Have another question?
- Email me directly at kyle(at)sloww(dot)co.
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