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The Yogi walkie is the fusion between yoga and hiking. This increasingly popular practice allows you to practice a gentle sporting activity while enjoying the benefits of a walk in nature.
For this new year, if you’re having trouble finding the exercise that suits you, why not try the yogi walkie? The yogi walkie is quite simply a discipline that combines yoga and hiking. Created in 2009 by Peggy Ménager, a French yoga teacher, the yogi walkie was primarily a therapeutic accompaniment to improve the well-being of people with cancer. This practice is now aimed at a wider audience, becoming the fashionable sport of the moment. Gentle and soothing, this discipline is ideal for those looking for an alternative to overly intense cardio exercises. And the benefits are numerous.
What are the benefits?
First, yoga is great for the body and mind. It improves balance, develops flexibility and allows you to gently shape, sculpt and tone your body. According to one American study, yoga would be as effective as stretching and strengthening exercises in improving your physical condition. It is also a good discipline to reduce stress, relieve anxiety and improve mood. Indeed, a Spanish study published in 2023 has revealed that yoga would help reduce the symptoms of depression.
As for walking outdoors, it allows you to clear your mind while strolling, lose weight and stimulate blood circulation, while strengthening the cardiovascular system. According to Heart Foundation Walking, walking an average of 30 minutes or more per day can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke by 35% and type 2 diabetes by 40%.
The advantage of the yogi walkie is that it is not only aimed at yoga experts. By focusing primarily on walking and breathing, this activity is suitable for everyone, regardless of their level. There is a lot of walking, and very few sequences of complex yoga postures. Simply choose a place outside, such as your garden or a park, to allow your body to oxygenate well during exercise. It is also not essential to be flexible. As Peggy Ménager points out in the columns of West France“Yoga today is above all postures. But traditionally, that wasn’t it. Breathing is the basis“, explains the yoga teacher.
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