Walking with Glenn Berkenkamp: 35 Wellness Walks to Expand Awareness, Increase Vitality, and Reduce Stress

Former bodybuilder Berkenkamp (Mastery) suggests 35 “guided wellness walks” in this enjoyable work. Berkenkamp posits that walking is a way to “cultivate the ability to... understand and discover how you move, think, feel, sense, and operate in your body” and can lead to “a greater sense of awareness and presence.” He covers the basics of body mechanics and offers advice on choosing the right footwear and clothing, and asks that readers, before they set out to walk, “feel the connection of your feet to the ground,” find one’s breath, and “sense the space around you.” The final chapter contains ideas for walks centered on “deepening physical life experience” primarily through connecting to nature; each is introduced by an epigraph and rounded out with “Takeaways and Reflections.” The “Affirmation Walk” presents mantra techniques for self-healing, with suggested mantras of “I get stronger everyday” and “life works.” Berkenkamp includes outdoor and indoor walks, such as walking meditations that offer a “there and back style” and a “circle style” for building and maintaining focus within just 30 feet of space. Walks centered on grieving, forgiving oneself, and natural elements (such as rain or the full moon) are also included. While the proposed walks are intriguing, many of the touted benefits (to ground, calm, and help readers maintain focus) and takeaways (the “interconnected, ‘all-is-one’ manner” of nature) become repetitive. Mindfulness newcomers will enjoy Berkenkamp’s suggestions for stress reduction. (Aug.)