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Building Movement Resilience
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The Single Most Powerful Thing You Can Do for Your Health Span
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Walking may be one of the simplest and most powerful ways to support a longer, healthier life.
Research links regular walking with cardiovascular health, brain health, physical function, independence, and overall health span. In this series, you will train the strength, mobility, and balance that confident walking depends on.
Four live sessions, Tuesdays at 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT
October 6, 13, 20, & 27
The most powerful movement may be the simplest
Walking can seem almost too ordinary to count as a health intervention. Yet a large body of research connects regular walking with many of the systems that shape longevity and health span.
Walking does far more than move you from one place to another. Every step draws on a coordinated set of systems working together.
- Â The heart
- Â The brain
- Â The muscles
- Â The feet and ankles
- Â Balance and coordination
- Â Mobility
- Â Physical independence
The Evidence
What the research says about walking
Studies of walking and health span point in a consistent direction. These findings describe associations across populations rather than promises for any one person.
11 min
Research suggests around 11 minutes of brisk walking per day is associated with a meaningful reduction in premature mortality risk.
Heart
Walking several miles per day has been associated with substantially lower cardiovascular risk compared with very limited walking
7,000
Studies have found that reaching around 7,000 steps per day is associated with a substantially lower risk of premature death than lower step counts.
Speed
Increases in walking speed have been associated with improvements in physical function.
Brain
Faster walking in older adults has been associated with lower rates of cognitive decline and healthier brain structure.
A Connected System
Why does walking get harder with age?
These factors are rarely isolated problems. They influence one another as parts of a single movement system.
Feet & Ankles
Years of restrictive footwear and reduced barefoot movement may leave the smaller muscles of the feet less conditioned and the feet and ankles less mobile.
Leg Strength
Age related muscle loss can reduce the strength needed for brisk walking, climbing stairs, and everyday movement.
Sensory Feedback
Communication between the feet, brain, and body helps us respond to uneven surfaces and stay stable. When that system is not regularly challenged, confidence and coordination can suffer.
Gait Changes
Reduced strength, mobility, and sensory input can contribute to slower, shorter, or more cautious walking patterns.
What is Somatic Wisdom™?
It is an approach built on learning to listen to the body rather than forcing it into prescribed shapes. Instead of overriding sensation, you use it as information, and let that information guide what comes next.
Each step opens the one that follows.
Awareness
Noticing what is actually happening.
Listening
Letting sensation inform the movement.
Choice
Responding instead of repeating.
Repatterning
New habits taking root over time.
Resilience
Strength that adapts with you.
Your Teacher
Meet James Knight
E-RYT, Gentle Somatic Yoga
An Integrative Therapist and Yoga Instructor for over 25 years. He one of the pioneers in the field of Somatics and is certified as a Hanna Somatic Educator by the Novato Institute for Somatic Studies. His passion is synthesizing the neuroscience of Hanna Somatics with Hatha yoga and other interoceptive practices. James created an educational movement method called Gentle Somatic YogaĂ’, and he travels the globe facilitating teacher training certifications, workshops, and cultural immersion retreats.
Gentle Somatic Yoga holds special appeal for yoga teachers, bodyworkers, massage therapists, personal trainers, dancers, and other providers seeking to augment their skill set with new and more effective methods. Lay practitioners who are interested in taking charge of their health attend James’s courses simply for their own personal benefit, using Gentle Somatic Yoga as a tool for aging gracefully. The customizable therapeutic Somatic Movement Flows James developed provide (often rapid and permanent) relief to those suffering from chronic back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, and foot pain. These Flows support recovery from injury, serve to improve mobility, and even prevent injury stemming from repetitive movements or lifestyle causes. James’s aim is to educate people and empower the clients he serves with practical tools so they can take charge and control over their own healing process for a more fulfilling and vibrant life.
Who this series is for:
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You want to develop a deeper relationship with your body
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You want to explore more mindful approaches to movement
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You want to move with greater confidence and ease
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You're interested in healthy aging and lifelong resilience
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You'd like to improve strength, balance, coordination, and body awareness
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You're recovering from past movement challenges and want gentler strategies
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You experience stiffness or limitations in everyday movement
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You're navigating changes related to aging
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You're curious how the nervous system and brain-to-muscle communication shape movement
This series is educational. It is not a treatment program and does not diagnose or address medical conditions. If you have specific health concerns, please speak with your healthcare provider.
Live Series Schedule
Four sessions, Mondays at 4:00 pm ET / 1:00pm PT
Session 1
November 9
4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
Session 2
November 16
4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
Session 3
November 23
4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
Session 4
November 30
4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
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Your body is still capable of learning
Aging does not have to mean stopping. Through curiosity, mindful movement, and Somatic Wisdom™, there is always an opportunity to keep learning, adapting, strengthening, and discovering new possibilities.
Four live workshops with James Knight. Come as you are.
