Letter To The Editor
Fox WalkingFox Walking has affected me in several simple but profound ways. When fox walking my
lower back, which was injured, seems to relax and in turn relieves the pain. Even more
profound is the feeling of soft energy currents that seem to flow down my legs. I feel my
feet make contact with the ground in a new and pleasurable way. The energy literally flows
from my feet into the ground. With this new grounding of the energy to the earth it brings
with it a new awareness or "contact" both with my own body sensations and my
surroundings. In this relaxed and energetically flowing state I simply function in the
moment, in the pulsation as it were. Not thinking in the future or in the past and not
thinking at all as we normally think of thinking. The fox walk is like what church people
call walking in grace, a feeling of gratitude in each step, an intense alive feeling, a
deep understanding that comes from your entire organism.
The subjective difference between fox walking and regular walking is analogous to two
men at work. One man hates his work from 8 to 5 and dreads the thought of ever coming
back. He leaves work at five exhausted and without experiencing any pleasure in his day.
The second man loves his work, does not want to leave after 8 hours, is in the groove, and
has more energy after work than he did when he started. Being "in the groove",
so to speak, with fox walking might shed some light as to why the Indian scouts could fox
walk or fox run such long distances, and not only not be tired, but be exhilarated at the
end. It was not simply that they were in good shape but that they were energetically
"in the groove" or "pulsation". (Akido is another clear example of
this.)
When I fox walk I feel very similar to when I am fishing. I can actually tell when and
where I will catch a fish before it happens. Also when fox walking, wild animals are not
as afraid of me and at times it feels as though I am almost invisible. In fact, the
animals "appear" all around me rather than me looking for them. Domestic
animals, such as dogs or cows, on the other hand, are alarmed and seem to feel danger when
you fox walk and are relaxed when you cow walk. Its almost like they sense the wild animal
in you. Another analogy between regular walking and fox walking is the difference between
the armored pollaxed cow that lives in each of us (Societies Child) and the vital alive
fox that lives in each of us.
It seems clear that fox walking has had a positive therapeutic effect for a number of
Toms students. However, the interesting question is why fox walking helps with medical
problems, and can change ones state of consciousness? I feel the answer lies in the
underlying energetic function of fox walking. Fox walking on an energetic level seems to
cause energetic currents down the legs which in itself could have a healing effect. This
sounds strange but it is true - try it yourself and be aware of your own sensation.
Another example of the sensation I mean, can be obtained by rubbing your hands together
for several minutes to build up friction and heat. Then put your hands apart about an
inch. The same soft buzzing feeling in your hands is what I'm talking about in the
currents going down your leg in fox walking. (Try it! before you say no.) There are many
people now working on ways to enhance the energies of the body to heal itself. A good
example of this type of approach is acupuncture which in effect stimulates the energy
blocks in the body to allow the body energy to again flow more freely, and in doing so,
heal itself. I feel fox walking, in effect, allows this natural flow to occur and thus
allows healing similar to acupuncture.
In very oversimplified terms, when energy moves in the bodily tissues, on a cellular
level, it is like a fresh alive stream. When people become energetically "stuck"
they are like a dammed up stagnant pond that decays and putrefies on the inside and thus
causes sickness. At times they seem to have a black or gray aura about them. One often
feels a slight thirst or mild sickness in their presence. A clear example are some cancer
patients.
In fox walking, the energetic contact with the earth as the energy flows through the
legs, into the feet, and into the earth gives one a feeling of being "grounded"
or having your feet on the ground or "having a clear head." Literally in fox
walking as the energy moves downward, the earth draws the energy out of the body. This
same energy going in reverse can go into excessive thinking, anxiety, or as Freud would
say "neurosis." (Being out of the movement) It is interesting that it seems the
further out of the movement we are the more neurotic and less happy we are. This opens up
the possibility of using fox walking, and for that matter Toms entire course, with people
that are having emotional problems. (It certainly has worked to change peoples lives.)
Another possibility is to see if people doing fox walking go into alpha or other states of
consciousness by using portable monitors. Subjectively, I personally feel a much deeper
state of consciousness when I fox walk.
Someday if you are feeling down or depressed go fox walking for one hour and if you are
like me you will feel much better. That is to say it gives you a feeling of pleasure,
expansion, revitalization or a buzzing sensation which is energetically the antithesis of
contraction, anxiety, and depression. Although I have only tried it a few times, when our
new born baby girl Lara is crying I pick her up and fox walk with her in my arms. So far
every time I have tried it, it has relaxed her and stopped her crying. Regular walking
also helps some of the time but the interesting thing about the fox walking is that it
puts her right to sleep.
It also seems to be no accident that fox walking not only doesn't make me tired but I
feel fresh, alive and feel a renewed contact. Did you ever notice that you almost can't
take two fox walking steps without also slowing down, breathing deeper, relaxing, feeling
body sensations, using splatter vision and hearing now sounds?
To sum up, there seems to be an energetic function involved in the very nature of fox
walking which could explain the healing effects both physically and emotionally. Also
there seems to be many other possible applications for fox walking that needs further
study.
John Schleining
River Medicine Thundering
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