Chi Walking is a new way to approach a classic fitness activity that so many people can do to improve their health. In Chi Walking, individuals combine traditional Eastern practices with the simple activity of walking for a kind of "mind/body connection" that many fitness experts like to promote. This gives beginners the best chance of creating a holistic wellness routine that will help them manage their health. A mind/body connection helps fitness participants to manage stress and create positive visualizations that can help them reach their fitness goals.

Chi Walking uses aspects of Tai Chi, a kind of oriental martial arts activity that utilizes the concept of mimicking classic shapes with the body, in order to promote creative, comfortable variations for a fitness session. Traditional Tai Chi was mainly a static sequence of poses, where the participant imitated various animals, plants or other themed concepts.

According to the main practitioner resources for Chi Walking, the practice has five "mindful steps," which are, in sequence:

• Get Aligned
• Engage Your Core
• Create Balance
• Make a Choice
• Move Forward

Each of these unique steps offers a particular value for Chi Walking. The first step, get aligned, encourages participants to consider both their physical posture and their mental reflections on the activity. Engaging the core helps get more muscle groups into a walking routine. Creating balance between the upper and lower body helps put less pressure on vulnerable joints and encourages better walking styles. Making choices about walking styles is part of the reflective philosophy of Tai Chi. In the last step, participants take all of this into consideration in changing the way they walk, in order to enjoy a variety of health benefits that may not be experienced with improper walking techniques.

Part of the value of Chi Walking is in creating specific body postures that will help produce the best results for walking. Another part of this "mindful approach" is in loosening the body and allowing it to be more versatile to absorb pressure, and to deal with the challenges that are placed on it with activities like walking and running. Chi Running, another fusion fitness activity, is helpful for some runners, where the traditional high impact activity can put a lot of wear on joints, bones and muscles.

Since Chi Walking and Chi Running are actually trademarked ideas presented by a fitness company, learning more involves looking at how Chi Walking is presented to the public by its creators. However, the general ideas presented by Chi Walking can apply to many different fitness philosophies and self-created programs where individuals combine stress relief principles with healthy physical activity. When you are engaged in your favorite fitness activities, think about how to bring stress relief and meditation principles into your routine for a "mind/body connection" that will ultimately improve your quality of life and overall health.