If you train your body, don’t forget your mind. If you train your mind, don’t forget your body.
Wise Walk builds both a strong body and sound mind—get swole and soul! If you’re ready to fight back against the soul-crushing sedentary life and work up a sacred sweat, I’ll see you in the spiritual gymnasium:
Page Contents:
Wise Walk: 365 Days of Enlightening Exercise
The Spark (MEDS)
I recently updated this post about MEDS (Meditation, Exercise, Diet, Sleep), and it got me thinking…
Diet & Sleep:
I feel pretty good about the diet and sleep aspects of MEDS at the moment (quitting alcohol, completely revamping my sleep to go to bed 3 hours earlier and wake up earlier, etc).
Meditation & Exercise:
I feel less good about meditation and exercise. I know I need to be more active each day. Many people have heard about aiming for 10,000 steps/day, but:
“When adults are randomly assigned to reduce their daily step count, 88 percent become more depressed. Within one week of becoming more sedentary, they report a 31 percent decline in life satisfaction. The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961.” — Kelly McGonigal (The Joy of Movement)
Most days, I don’t think I hit 5,649 steps (sometimes it’s not even close). So, I want to move more—but I also want to look forward to it. So, I’m going to combine meditation + exercise in what I’m calling a daily “wise walk” (yes, I know this is technically more contemplation than meditation, but you get the idea). Want to join me?
What is Wise Walk?
Wise Walk is 365 days of enlightening exercise.
- When: Daily from Jan 1 – Dec 31.
- Where: Everything happens in a private space within the Sloww Society community for accountability and encouragement with your fellow Wise Walkers (see first screenshot below of the community on web and mobile).
- What: Each week, there will be a new post with that week’s teacher and daily teachings (see second screenshot below for an example week). We’ll listen to each day’s teaching while walking/working out for 30 minutes (all content is from public sources like YouTube). Daily notes will be shared along with weekly highlight recaps. Each week will feature a new teacher—a sort of “spiritual sampler” to get a taste of a vast variety of teachers/teachings (maybe you’ll even discover a new favorite teacher or two … or ten).
- Teachers list TBD (here were the 52 spiritual teachers from Wise Walk 2024; some will be repeated, but I’ll also open it up to broader philosophical teachers): Anthony de Mello, Pema Chödrön, Michael Singer, Tara Brach, Thich Nhat Hanh, Diane Musho Hamilton, Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Alan Watts, Bernadette Roberts, Douglas Harding, Dorothy Hunt, Swami Sarvapriyananda, Joan Halifax, Adyashanti, Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, Jac O’Keeffe, A.H. Almaas, Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Pravrajika Divyanandaprana, Jean Klein, Gangaji, Joseph Goldstein, Tenzin Palmo, Eckhart Tolle, Amoda Maa, Henry Shukman, Ganga Mira, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Neelam, Francis Lucille, Mirabai Starr, Rupert Spira, Shakti Caterina Maggi, Timothy Conway, Judith Blackstone, Shinzen Young, Mukti, Jay Garfield, Sylvia Boorstien, Jack Kornfield, Joan Tollifson, Daniel Ingram, Jan Frazier, Loch Kelly, Ellen Emmet, James Low, Toni Packer, Rob Burbea, Samaneri Jayasāra.
- By the end of the year: You will have listened to 150+ hours of teachings from 50+ philosophical and spiritual teachers while walking an additional 1,000,000 steps!
What are Wise Walkers saying?
“I am definitely in for the daily ‘Wise Walk’ in 2024. I think it’s a fantastic idea to combine meditation and exercise, and I’m excited to explore different teachings from spiritual teachers while walking. Additionally, the accountability and encouragement provided through the Sloww Society community is a great incentive. Count me in!”
Naya D.
Wise Walker“I’ve found myself craving my daily walk now, whether I’m listening or not. I’m also limiting myself to only listening to the ‘Wise Walk’ items this year and embracing other walking times as ‘music and podcast free.’ I am way more present and loving it.”
Zoë P.
Wise Walker“You are amazing, and your work means so much to me. If you are telling us that you will walk every day of the year, I gotta be supportive of this! You inspire me in many ways. Thank you so much.”
Katherine C.
Wise Walker“I would definitely be interested in this! Feels like an achievable and actionable way to get in two of my goals, similar to you.”
Jade E.
Wise Walker“Perfect! I’ve been thinking a lot about including walking in my life. This sounds like great way to achieve this. I’m in!”
Adam S.
Wise Walker“Love it. I’ve gotten to point where it’s the first priority each day because it gets mind and body off to a great start.”
Joseph K.
Wise Walker“I am DEFINITELY IN!! Thank you for the opportunity.”
Leah P.
Wise Walker“I’m all in! Daily walks are the very habit I planned to implement next. Add in ‘wise’ and ‘spiritual sampler’ and the Sloww community, and it sounds amazing … My daily walking habit has strengthened and I look forward to my daily dose of spiritual listening, whether the activities are together or separate. Noting the variations on the same message has been particularly helpful. Thank you for the daily highlights and weekly summaries as well. I appreciate them!”
Amber R.
Wise Walker“I already had a daily walking practice since I walk my pup a couple times a day, so it’s been really nice to make that ritual a bit more meaningful and add a layer of connection between the days of the week. I’m also grateful to have come across some teachers and ideas that I don’t have a great deal of exposure to, forcing me out of my comfort zone.”
Aashay M.
Wise Walker“I am interested in sharing your journey. I need the buddy system to hold myself accountable to meditate, exercise, eat whole foods, and sleep 8 hours. I am recently retired and searching for balance, and wise walking would help me focus. I plan to travel but balance is the key and wise walking would create a portable framework.”
Kelly C.
Wise Walker“I’ll end up doing a ‘wise walk’ because that’s where I’ve been headed with my walking. I regularly listen to podcasts; sometimes for knowledge, language learning or other. Thanks for the checkup, and the motivation to continue and journal my walks going forward.”
Larry F.
Wise Walker“I like it for the walking, spiritual learning, accountability, and community. You are also making it easier by providing teachers and summarizing takeaways. I’ll go for this.”
Rachel B.
Wise Walker“I would LOVE to participate in Wise Walk 2024! Walking and sharing positive healing thoughts with people from all walks and locations of the universe may be the missing link for me. I sent my thoughts out to the universe for opportunities to partake in that would aid in my healing and then received my first message (this invitation for the wise walk sent to me about 24 hours later). Thank you for all you do! I’m grateful for your energy and sharing this with the world!”
Stephanie R.
Wise Walker“I would love to do this! I generally do a 30 min walk midday but would love the curriculum you are thinking about to make these even more intentional.”
Matt K.
Wise Walker“I, for one, am looking forward to Wise Walk. The timing of what you created could not be more perfect. Thank you again, I truly appreciate it.”
Deborah E.
Wise Walker“Tough challenge. But got to start someplace. I think the 30 minute agreement, when it develops into a habit, will be very helpful.”
Verinder S.
Wise Walker“This is wonderful! Perfectly manageable and achievable. Thank you for doing this!”
Claire E.
Wise Walker“Thank you for this adventure, Kyle. This is just wonderful.”
Meredith B.
Wise Walker“I’m in, thank you! What a marvelous idea.”
Katherine F.
Wise WalkerFAQs:
What’s the cost?
- Wise Walk is only $95 (or $75 for Sloww Premium members or Wise Walkers coming back for a second year). This gets you access to a private space in the Sloww Society community where I share the weekly teachings, daily notes, and highlight recaps. As a bonus, you also get access to the other spaces in the Sloww Society community (excluding Premium content and course spaces).
Can I gift Wise Walk to friends/family/coworkers?
- Yes, please send me an email at kyle(at)sloww(dot)co, and I’ll help you get everyone signed up (and can offer a discounted rate for 3+ people).
When does it start/end?
- Wise Walk 2025 will run from Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025 (365 days). Non-Premium members who are participating will have access to the Sloww Society community until Jan 15, 2026.
Do I have to walk, or can I do a different workout?
- Walking is the minimum viable activity, but it’s totally fine if you’d rather run, bike, lift, or do something else. Remember, the ultimate aim is: growing wiser while moving more (in any way you like to move). Personally, I walked in 2024 but will be working out (lifting) in 2025.
What if I miss a day?
- I’m sure some people will miss days throughout the year here and there based on personal schedules. No worries, you can either skip that day and pick up the next or go for a 60-minute walk/workout the next day if you want to listen to the missed day’s teaching and catch up.
When will teachings be published, and what if I don’t like the teacher/teaching that day/week?
- The coming week’s teachings are posted a day or two before on Saturdays or Sundays. We’ll run each week beginning on Mondays (so a week is Mon-Sun). If a teacher/teaching doesn’t resonate, feel free to listen to something else of your own choosing that day/week. The curriculum I come up with can be considered “suggested teachings.”
Why not fewer teachers (e.g. 26 instead of 52)?
- I considered 26 teachers (biweekly), but I feel like one per week gives people something new to look forward to each week. If it was biweekly and someone doesn’t resonate with a teacher, that could be a long two-week grind until the next one. Weekly worked out well in 2024.
How are teachers selected?
- I’m looking for primary source audio/video in the teacher’s own words (as opposed to documentaries about ancient/older teachers). Each teacher needs to have at least 3.5 hours of quality audio/video content (30 mins/day for 7 days). Content needs to be in the English language with clear audio quality that can be easily listened to while walking.
Will we all be listening to the same content?
- Yes, I will curate all teachers/teachings from publicly available sources like YouTube. That being said, please be aware that streaming 30 mins/day of audio/video while exercising could impact your phone’s data plan and battery life if you aren’t on wifi. If you have limited data each month, you may want to limit your workouts to when you have wifi. Some tips & tricks are posted in the community regarding how to save data/battery with YouTube.
What if I’m having trouble staying consistent and motivated 3/6/9 months in?
- Share your struggles and leverage the community for accountability and encouragement!
This all sounds great, but what if I have buyer’s remorse and want a refund?
- No hard feelings. Send me an email at kyle(at)sloww(dot)co within 30 days of the initial purchase with your name, email address you used to sign up, and reason for the requested refund.
Have another question?
- Email me directly at kyle(at)sloww(dot)co.
