Looking for a way to clear your head? Let me introduce you to your new favorite movement ritual that’ll make your body, mind, and soul feel good from the inside out: walking yoga.
A hybrid of walking, yoga, and mindfulness, walking yoga turns your hot girl walk into something more. “It’s a practice that helps elevate a traditional walk and turn it into more of a spiritual experience,” says Kate Lombardo, E-RYT 500, the co-founder of YogaRenew in New Jersey. At its core, walking yoga is characterized by syncing your steps with your breath and pausing every so often to hold yoga poses such as side bends or twists.
Meet the experts: Kate Lombardo, E-RYT 500, is the co-founder of YogaRenew in New Jersey. Jennifer Perrini, E-RYT 500, is the co-owner of Wild + Free Yoga Studio in New Jersey.
But a big part of walking yoga is also moving with awareness of your surroundings and how your body feels. “You’re not just walking—you’re noticing the breeze on your skin, the strength in your legs, the ground beneath your feet, and your breath,” says Jennifer Perrini, E-RYT 500, the co-owner of Wild + Free Yoga Studio in New Jersey. This practice allows you to relax your nervous system and lower your heart rate to calm your body and mind.
Whether you’re looking to shake up your movement routine or want a calmer cardio alternative, walking yoga offers a surprisingly powerful mind-body reset. Here’s what it can do, and how you might give it a try.
Benefits Of Walking Yoga
While there is limited research on the effects of this particular movement modality, studies have consistently shown the impact of yoga on achieving deeper sleep, increased flexibility, and overall relaxation. Plus, the cardiovascular benefits and holistic health benefits of walking are well-documented through research, even with just 30 minutes of brisk walking daily.
It may improve sleep and mood.
A 2022 study in Explore looked at 104 college students who had trouble sleeping and had them walk mindfully for 35 minutes everyday for a week. After that week, their sleep quality (like latency, duration, and efficiency), mood, and mindfulness improved, according to their self-reported feedback forms.
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“Walking yoga becomes more than just physical movement,” says Perrini. It’s about being intentional with each step—noticing your breath and body, as well your surroundings. Being mindful of the environment around you may help regulate your nervous system and reduce your anxiety over time, she says.
Spending time outside, especially when it involves gentle movement, has also been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. “This kind of movement is perfect for anyone who struggles to sit still,” Lombardo says. “It gets your energy moving while also grounding your nervous system.”
It can increase flexibility and mobility.
Unlike a traditional walk, walking yoga invites you to pause for stretches that support joint health and mobility. “It’s a way to lengthen muscles like the hips and hamstrings that tend to get tight, especially if you’re sitting most of the day,” says Lombardo. Both Lombardo and Perrini recommend incorporating lunges to stretch the hips, as well as side bends, forward folds, overhead reaches, and twists to move the spine in all directions—a key way to stay flexible and mobile as you age.
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It might enhance muscle endurance and stability.
Engaging in an isometric exercise where you hold a pose for a while, like a chair pose or a lunge, works your leg muscles more than a plain stroll might. Throwing in these yoga poses can help improve muscle endurance and joint stability, particularly around the knee and ankle, says Perrini. This, in turn, helps with balance and posture.
It helps you bring awareness to your senses.
By definition, yoga means union: of mind, body, and breath. “Walking yoga helps you come back to your senses,” says Perrini. “You’re not just walking on autopilot—you’re feeling your feet, noticing your breath, and being present with yourself.” That deeper awareness is one of the biggest gifts of the practice, Perrini adds, because it brings mindfulness off the mat and into real life. Being present with yourself in this way helps calm your nervous system, and help you feel more relaxed when life gets hectic.
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Both Lombardo and Perrini recommend starting small by trying walking yoga two to three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Not near a grassy park or quiet trail? That’s okay—you can do this anywhere you feel safe and grounded, even a sidewalk loop or beach path works. (Just don’t try it on a treadmill—it may be a hassle to pause the speed every few minutes.)
These expert-recommended poses are beginner-friendly and designed for outdoor practice—no mat required.
Instructions: Begin by walking at a natural pace while focusing on your breath, and every five to 10 minutes, pause and try one of the poses below. Hold each pose for three to five deep breaths, or about 20 to 30 seconds, then continue walking.
Standing Cat-Cow (Cactus Arm Variation)
Why it rocks: This pose helps with spine mobility and strengthens your core while offering a great stretch.
How to:
Stop walking and stand tall, pressing palms together at the center of your chest. Inhale and raise arms to sides at 90-degree angle while lifting chest into a gentle backbend. Exhale, releasing arms, then re-pressing hands together in front of chest, rounding the spine.
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Why it rocks: This move helps open the rib cage and side body, providing a good stretch and allowing you to breathe more deeply, which can promote relaxation and nervous system regulation.
How to:
While walking or standing still, lift arms overhead. Grab right wrist with your left hand and gently bend to the left, feeling the stretch along the right side. Hold, then release right wrist and repeat on other side.Chair Pose 
Why it rocks: This pose helps to build strength in the legs and core as you’re holding a version of a squat.
How to:
Pause your walk, bring feet together, and bend knees like you’re sitting in an invisible chair. Keep spine long and weight in the heels. Reach arms overhead or press palms together at the center of your chest. Hold, then release and stand up straight.Standing Twist
Why it rocks: This move releases tension in the thoracic spine and encourages spinal mobility.
How to:
While walking or standing with your arms relaxed, twist to the right, letting your arms swing at your sides. Hold for one second, then twist to the left. High Lunge
Why it rocks: High lunges stretch your hip flexors and build stability through the low body.
How to:
Pause your walk and step right foot forward and bend right knee into a lunge at a 90-degree angle while back leg is straight with the heel lifted. Raise arms overhead or press palms together at the center of your chest. Hold, then step right knee back to return to start.Repeat on other side.
Walking yoga blends the accessibility of a walk with the grounding benefits of yoga and meditation—no mat, studio, or fancy setup required. “It’s a great practice, especially in the spring and summer months, when we can get outside, breathe fresh air, and get away from the four walls around us,” says Perrini.
So next time you lace up your sneakers, try taking your yoga practice with you and see what shifts when you pause to really pay attention—you never know what you might discover.
Jacqueline Tempera è un’affermata scrittrice e reporter che vive nel New Jersey con i suoi molti animali domestici. È un’imprenditrice e un doppio Scorpione che ama tutto ciò che riguarda l’astrologia e i reality. Si occupa della diversità e della rappresentazione del corpo, della salute mentale e della lotta per porre fine alle aggressioni e alle sofferenze sessuali. Per saperne di più su Jackie, seguila su Instagram @jacktemp o visita il suo sito web all’indirizzo jackietempera.com.