All you want to know about figure 8 walk

Hi friends,

How are you all doing? In order to maintain our health and keep us fit we indulge in many activities like yoga, walking, jogging, weight training and many more. One such activity is figure 8 walk. Have you heard about it earlier? I came to know of it from my gynec who suggested it for me to lose some extra weight. It is a really easy and healthy activity by following which you can keep yourself fit and it has many more advantages to it. Read on more to find more about this method of walking.

What exactly is figure 8 walk?

8 walk or figure 8 or F8 walking is an ancient siddha practice to maintain the health. While taking driving test for driving license, one must drive their vehicle in an 8 shape. Figure 8 walk is exactly the same. It involves walking in the shape of an eight.  In this method of walking one must walk both in straight and curved paths. It can be done along with your daily fitness routine and it certainly does not require any special equipment.

How and where to do it?

8 walk can be done at any place of your choice be it indoor like your living room, outdoor, parks or even your terrace would suffice preferably in open airy space. All you need to do is draw an eight in the length of 12 to 16 feet with a width of 6 to 8 feet. You can also draw two circles of diameter 6 to 8 feet adjacently.

You should start from the south west corner and walk towards the north east direction and again turn to walk towards north west direction to south east direction and finish at the south west direction i.e., your starting point. In other words, start from the S.W. corner and walk in an eight shape :D

Benefits of F8 walking:

It is a health maintenance activity which helps us to avoid and manage chronic diseases such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and kidney problems. However, people who already are suffering from the above mentioned medical conditions should consult their doctors before following this method of walk. It also helps to reduce and maintain our body weight.

It has all the benefits of straight walking and the turning and twisting of the body massages the muscles and organs inside our body. Changing direction spirals the spine to and fro and exercises the multifidis of the vertebrae.

Other important points to remember:

It can be done by any time of the day allowing a gap of 2 or more hours after a meal. But preferably between 5 and 8 a.m in the morning.

You can do this walk for about 15 minutes which is really beneficial for our health. One should not exceed the 15 minutes as it might get dizzy.

It should be done on an empty stomach and never do it on a full stomach or immediately after taking food. Leave a gap of 2 or more hours after a meal.

Anybody from the age group of 18 to 100 can follow this method of walking.

People who had a major surgery/surgeries within the past 6 months should stay away from this program. It is better to consult your doctor on this.

People with health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes, neuro problems, high cholesterol or people who take treatment/medicines for above mentioned problems should not do undergo this figure 8 walk without consulting their doctor.

Pregnant ladies should not indulge in this method of walking.

Children are not advised to do it.

It can be accompanied by pranayama and breathing exercises it gives us long lasting health benefits.

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