On NPR last night, a man said his boss offered to buy him comfortable shoes so he could walk the six miles to work this morning in the event of a New York City-wide mass transit strike.

As New Yorkers well know, we’re one of the few cities in America that isn’t afraid to walk. And walk. We walked for 11 days during the last transit strike in 1980; we walk every time we’re too far from a train, too broke for a cab, or too close to our destination (within ten blocks is my rule); and we walked as far as we needed during each of the blackouts and on 9/11. As the only city in the nation where you can grow up without a driver’s license, walking is one of the main ways we stay in shape (we’re three percent less obese than the rest of the country), sort through our busy New Yorker thoughts, and check out urban vistas and each other.

The physical health benefits of hoofing it are myriad, from increasing bone density to lowering the risk of colon cancer. But you can also blend this form of exercise and transportation with meditation. Walking meditation is a large part of the practice of Vipassana. Try this: Stand, become aware of your ability to be upright, feel the place where your feet hit the earth. Now walk normally, as one site suggests, “We’re not going to be changing the way that we walk; we’re simply going to be aware of it.” Notice all the motions of walking, from heel contact to ball-of-the-foot contact to the sweep back of the heel. Keep attention on the breath when your mind starts to wander. Many people find this easier than sitting meditation, though it’s often suggested as a complement to a sitting practice. And if you need a guide, this CD may assist.

Photo by tyger_lyllie