Walking Your Way to Vitality with Dr. Jacques MoraMarco & Dr. Yun Kimhttps://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/1306acca-8e91-407b-adba-adf70057d15f/773041ac-0ce2-41e4-9337-ae11015b73d3/22e1ab04-2ac4-4660-9bdf-b43600497e1e/audio.mp3SHOW NOTES𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 & 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 / 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹* Emperor’s College of Traditional East Asian Medicine + Main institutional site (faculty leadership, programs) * Emperor’s Wellness + Founded by Dr. Yun Kim (wellness + acupuncture practice)
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 Walking Your Way to Vitality
𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 (𝗗𝗿. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼) 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬
𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 “Research Supports the Integration of Acupuncture in Mainstream Health Care…” (2025)
Organizations / Affiliations𝗗𝗿. 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼* Academic Dean (former/emeritus) at Emperor’s College of Traditional East Asian Medicine * Co-founder of International Sun Tai Chi Association * Worked with: + Being Alive + VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (PTSD clinic)
𝗗𝗿. 𝗬𝘂𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗺* President of Emperor’s College of Traditional East Asian Medicine * Founder of Emperor’s Wellness * Former board member: + Korean American Family Services * Roles in: + Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine + Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
00:00 – Introduction to walking as a powerful health tool
02:00 – Guest backgrounds & inspiration behind the book
05:00 – Why walking is transformative (body, mind, spirit)
06:00 – Retro walking explained
09:00 – Mindful walking & present awareness
11:00 – Vitality walk & breathwork technique
14:00 – Hand mudras & energy flow
17:00 – Tai Chi vs Qigong walking styles
18:30 – Cat walk, rooster stance & balance longevity
21:00 – Bear walk & advanced movement
22:00 – Circle walking (tiger & dragon)
25:00 – Immunity walk & cancer support
27:00 – Lymphatic health & movement science
29:00 – Ancient wisdom & longevity insights
32:00 – Walking as a modern public health solution
36:00 – Breathwork, mindfulness & healing integration
40:00 – Final reflections & book recommendation
Walking Your Way to Vitality with Dr. Jacques MoraMarco & Dr. Yun KimDr Ron Ehrlich (00:05)
Hello and welcome to Unstress Health. My name is Dr. Ron Ehrlich.
Well, today we are talking about one of the most accessible, sustainable, effective, enjoyable, cheapest, gosh, it’s so many wins there, form of exercise that you can do and give you a whole new perspective on it. It’s about walking. And if you thought this was just about putting one foot in front of the other, well, today’s episode is a real eye-opener. I’ve been walking for almost 70 years and I’ve been walked, I’ve walked across Spain, I’ve walked through France and Italy and through central Australia and the Larapinta Walk. I’ve done lots of walking, but today this episode is a total revelation to me and got me extremely excited. You can probably tell. Today I’m joined by Dr Jacques MoraMarco and Dr. Yun Kim.
Two thoughtful advocates of the most powerful and most overlooked form of human movement, walking. Now through their work, through their writing and lived experience, they explore walking not simply as an exercise, but as a pathway to mental clarity, resilience, connection, and even transformation. In a fast-paced technology-driven world, which we live in, they invite us to do something deeply human.
The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and rediscovering health in the process. This is not just about that. You’ll be learning about a retro walk, a vitality walk, a cat walk, a bear walk, a dragon walk, a tiger walk, and immunity walk and a circle walk. Yes, it’s a really wonderful and empowering episode. I hope you enjoy this conversation I had with Dr. Jacques MoraMarco and Dr. Yun Kim.
Welcome to the show Jacques, welcome to the show Yun.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (01:59)
Thank you for having us.
Dr Yun Kim (02:00)
Thank you for having us.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (02:02)
Well, this is when I got information about your book and the opportunity for us to be talking. I jumped at it very enthusiastically because walking is very much part of my life, both my daily life and my recreational life holidays. And it’s very unusual for me, as I said before, we came on to have two guests at once. ⁓ But, but I wondered if you might each share with us
your own background, what led you to write this book? Jacques, perhaps you first.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (02:37)
Well, about 25 years ago, I wrote a book called The Way of Walking, which was a really cutting edge book of its time. And it was also based on a lot of my experience with AIDS patients from the 80s, where these AIDS patients were only given 18 months life expectancy. And by doing some of these techniques, some of these very specific walks, coordinating walking and breathing, they were able to extend their lifespan until the proper medication came around, which was about the mid 90s.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (03:11)
Your background is in medicine.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (03:14)
In Eastern medicine, yes. I took the very first acupuncture examining board test here in California in 1977. So I did that. And then, you know, I’ve had a 50 year background in martial arts, including Tai Chi and Qigong and the Chinese arts. So was very lucky to have studied that also in China for about 10 years from 1994 to 2004.
So Sun Tai Chi, there’s five different styles of Tai Chi. So I studied with the granddaughter or the founder of the style. So was very lucky to do.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (03:49)
Wow, and Yun, your background?
Dr Yun Kim (03:52)
I am also a doctor of acupuncture in East Asian medicine. I don’t have half a century of experience as Dr. Moro Marco does, but about 20 years ago, I started a practice in mindful meditation and I was very honored to do some retreats at Deer Park Monastery here in California with the great Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. And his emphasis was, he since passed, on walking, walking meditation.
And I participated in walking meditation with him and with the reach of participants. And it was an incredibly inspirational, memorable, life-changing experience. And since then, I’ve really have incorporated mindful walking into my practice and really love it and want everyone to practice it because I’m so passionate about this particular form of walking and mindful practice.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (04:58)
Wow. Well, I’m looking forward to hearing more about this because I mean, walking is arguably the most evolutionary consistent form of movement we have. So from your perspective, what is it about walking physiologically, psychologically, and even spiritually that makes it so transformative?
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (05:21)
Well, I think the one thing that our book features is the regular walking or what we know as traditional walking. But what we have is this very specific styles of walking. So not only the traditional walking, which includes like retro walking or backwards walking. Something quite interesting is that I first saw that practice in the parks in China, but 30 years ago, I never saw anybody practicing it. This reverse or retro walking gear, which affects all this balance, the proprioceptor, it really affects your calves, your quadriceps and all the balance mechanism and it saves on the knees. So now when I go to the park here in LA, there’s a very big park that has some hills. I see quite a number of people doing retro walking. That’s part of the traditional style.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (06:13)
Well, I mean, have not heard of retro walking. mean, psychologically, one could say many people do walk backwards, but, to physically do that. Now you mentioned there are different styles of walking and you’ve just given us wealth. The one that we know all about is what takes us from point A to point B every single day of our lives. But here we are already with retro walking and that, that is that that’s one mean, Let’s go on. mean, this is just so.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (06:44)
Yeah. So the one little interesting clue on that retro walking is nothing new in 1915. There was a gentleman named Harmon who had a bet and he won $5,000 and he walked from San Francisco to New York and the bet retro was to be able to do it under one year. And he did it in 260 days. Well, he had a mirror, of course, to be able to see what he was doing. that’s a fun fact.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (07:11)
Yeah. But, but, you know, you, you’ve mentioned it’s impact on physiology, on the musculature, but I mean, you really must be using a different, because walking is such a reflex activity for us all. Walking backwards elevates it to a whole new level. What’s going on there?
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (07:32)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the amount of engagement for the proprioceptors, which is your ability to see yourself in space, like a GPS that we have, it’s at a much higher level. And just to make it very simple, you have those abilities by placing your foot in a different position where you, instead of landing heel, toes, here you’re going with the ball of the foot backwards stepping with the heel. just a little bit of an insight on the retro walking. That’s part of it. We have it in the traditional walk. So we have many different walks. So that’s just one idea.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (08:14)
Well, let’s, let’s get going on this journey that you’re taking us on now. Obviously we’re to have links to this book. And people will be able to flesh this out, but this is part of this conversation. I’m just intrigued. Let’s go on to another area of walking that we should discuss or be aware of.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (08:33)
to you.
Dr Yun Kim (08:34)
I briefly mentioned mindful walking, which is my passion. You know, everyone talks about mindfulness these days. It’s such a prevalent word. And what does it really mean? And I really want to make it very simple for our audience and our readers. Mindfulness really just means being in the present moment and feeling the feelings you are feeling right here, right now. The sensations of the body. Any tightness or any tension, bringing our whole attention to the body as we walk. Instead of ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, being here now, and that can bring great health benefits. We’ve looked at the research about the benefits of Tai Chi and Qi Gong and some of these movement exercises. And really the key ingredient is the mindful awareness of the present moment. Feeling the breath, feeling the feet on the ground, feeling the temperature, all of these ⁓ awareness activities bring us to the present moment where we can really truly be happy, where we can be really living our lives in the present moment.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (09:58)
Well, mean, the, the, any activity or anything that makes us feel present in the moment where we physically are actually present, not, not halfway around the world with all our friends and followers is, is, is clearly something we need more of.
Dr Yun Kim (10:19)
Exactly, exactly. And so once you train your mind and your body to do this while walking, we can bring it to other areas of our lives. Washing the dishes, doing the laundry, getting your children ready for work. We can do it with a lot of joy and fulfillment because we’re right here right now and really living our lives fully present.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (10:47)
You want to add anything, Jacques, I kind of-
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (10:49)
You know, I was saying that that was one chapter, the mindfulness walk, which also has some other components such as even hand position or called mudras in the yogic terms. So another chapter that we have is called the actual vitality walk. And this is a walk that is derived from some of the tradition in Himalayan region in the Hunza Valley and that part of the world which I experienced where you actually walk and you coordinate some dynamic breath which the stepping so it’s not just breathing in breathing out but you actually learn how to do a dynamic breath what I mean by dynamic breath that will demonstrate it’s a very dynamic inhalation and then you will do another one and then you will exhale out and then you will count certain steps.
So it’s a five step pattern, which is amazing. I’ve used this for the last 40 years. Also on my AIDS patients were back in the eighties and it really was a life changing technique to be used on a regular basis. This vitality, you are really oxygenating your body. You bring so much oxygen and it affects all those components that are linked with your hormones, with your oxygen, with all the mechanism that deal with the breath, which is a core practice in yogic tradition, the pranayama and in the Chinese medical traditions, have those, uh, shi gong is called shi gong, which is the practice of breath.
Dr Yun Kim (12:29)
And the Vitality Walk is just wonderful. actually one of my favorite walks. It’s very simple, very powerful. And we’ve done it as a class at Empress College where we both worked previously. And what’s wonderful about this walk is that it’s a concentration practice because you’re stepping, you’re also doing a particular kind of breath work. And so
After the walk, we would ask the students, how did you feel? And everyone said that they felt so concentrated that the mind wasn’t elsewhere. They were right here, right now in the park, doing the breathing, doing the stepping, doing the hand movements. And so it’s, again, is a very powerful mindfulness practice with the added benefits of the breath work and the hand mudra.
It’s wonderful and you can do it anywhere. You can do it going to the park. You can do it, you know, in the parking lot, going to your car. It’s not something that requires special equipment or anything like that. Almost anybody can do this.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (13:40)
Hmm. It’s so interesting, isn’t it? Because that type of breath, in to inhale like that, uh, is, being coined by a very famous podcaster at the moment from, uh, one of the universities in America as the physiological side, a great way of relieving anxiety quickly. Uh, and, there’s nothing particularly new or revolutionary about it. It’s just the new. The rebranding of a very ancient practice.
Another one that he is introduced was the conscious resting, know, where you, the physiological resting, where you literally just rest for 20 minutes, consciously scanning the body. Well, we used to call that yoga nidra for many, many years, but this is apparently a new breakdown, a breakthrough way of resting. You know, so it’s interesting to see these ancient practices.
You talk also about hand position or hand movement. Can we talk a little bit? Cause you know, we generally swing our hands from side to side as we walk. But of course there could be much more in it than that.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (14:52)
Yeah, for the vitality walk, it’s a very simple mudra and what you do, you place your thumb inside and you have a loose fist. So that is the mudra. It’s a very basic mudra, which in Chinese medicine, the thumb correlates with the lung meridians, the lung energy. So this is also in terms of primordial, you see a lot of the babies, they have this position. It kind of keeps the energy within.
So it’s kind of gives you that sense of and strength. So that’s the key mudra for the vitality walk. Different walks have different position, but this is the key mudra. So you will see it also as our book has some QR codes. can see the reader can actually see a video, not only see the position in the book, but they also see a video.
Dr Yun Kim (15:46)
And the point in the middle of the palm, it’s called the Lao Gong. It’s a very important acupuncture point that we ask students to concentrate on when you are doing Qi Gong. And so you’re not only activating the lung channel, but this specific point on the palm called the Lao Gong. And so I’ve actually, a patient of mine already got the book and is doing the exercises. And she told me that she can walk further just with the Mudra, just with the hand.
position and she’s a professor of kinesiology and she’s someone who’s very very knowledgeable about movement and it’s it’s it’s a delight that she’s finding something new in there that she can apply right away.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (16:33)
Now you’ve both mentioned Qigong and Tai Chi and of course these are terms that many of us are familiar with and some of us may have seen people moving very purposefully in the park and thought, that’s Tai Chi or Qigong. Let’s come back to some basics here because it is a movement, Tai Chi and Qigong and so is walking, just to remind us of the difference between Tai Chi and Qigong.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (17:02)
Yeah, so generally when you do Tai Chi form, it has maybe 108 movements or 98 movements where you actually do a very slow motion of your hands and you’re actually moving through space. The Qigong mostly is more static and you might be doing some sounds or some breathing exercises, but there’s not as much physical movement. So Qigong and Tai Chi sometimes are interchanged, however, in our book, we do use the Tai Chi walking method.
And the one specific component of that Tai Chi chapter is you’re not learning the form, which is quite complicated to learn, but you actually are taking three specific walking methods. One of them is called the cat walk, walking just as a cat would do with a very gentle, supple awareness being able to lift your leg and place it softly heel to toes and be able to move in a very gentle fashion.
Then the second one, it’s the golden rooster. That’s part of the Sun Tai Chi style. This actual motion is found in the different schools of Tai Chi where you actually do one leg posture. So it’s like, you know, the flamingo stance that is actually one of the great predictors for longevity and they found out that after the age of 60, your ability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds diminishes at 70. If you can stand for 10 seconds on one leg, then you have a good prospect of longevity.
Dr Yun Kim (18:40)
We’ll try right now.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (18:42)
Well, I’m tempted to, I’m tempted to, do you know, was, it is interesting that you’re talking about predictability of longevity because I remember when I wrote my own book, a life less stressed, 10 years ago, I was exploring a UK study, which said, walking speed was an excellent predictor of, of longevity for the next five, a five year predictor, know, so that’s not
That’s not surprising when you think about it, because if you see someone struggling at one or two kilometers per hour, you kind of think they’re not well. So you don’t have to be a rocket science to know that, but that’s an interesting one. And now we’re talking about balancing on one leg as being another predictor. Okay. So we’ve got
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Dr Ron Ehrlich (18:48)
Retro walk, which I love the, I’m going to be doing this when I go to pick up my grandchildren this afternoon, a total war total heel. we have the vitality walk with its mudra and breath work. Dynamic breath work. That’s important. And I love the mudra with its connection to the lung Meridian. And, and then we have the cat walk, which is just this very gentle.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (20:56)
Dynamic breath
Dr Ron Ehrlich (18:42)
Walk and I’m guessing the rooster walk is a kind of a strut, a strutting one leg at a time kind
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (21:16)
Something like that, you know, of course, you know, there has martial arts implication because all the Tai Chi moves were used as a martial arts. So you can think of it like a knee strike or a toe strike. So it does have some martial component. And of course, the last one, which is a little bit more advanced is called the bear spirit walk. And that requires you to move more in a zigzag pattern and you create a bear shoulder where your shoulder around it and you have some more pressure in the intrascapular area. So that’s also a very powerful walk that you can do just. Yeah. So that’s in that chapter.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (21:55)
Wow.
Okay. But that, but now is that the, mean, are there, must be more walks than that. ⁓ I’m guessing, cause my mind is just boggling when you’re drawing all these analogies with different movements in Tai Chi, Chi Gong, martial arts, you know, animals of different ways of walking. mean, is there a, how many more walks have we got here in your book?
Dr Yun Kim (22:22)
We have two more chapters. So immunity walk for, to nourish our immunity and also as cancer support and then, the circle walk and I’ll have our expert Dr. Moore Marco talk about them.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (22:38)
Yes. So yeah, the, the circle walk is called Ba Gua, which is a Ba Gua in Chinese translates as eight trigram or eight directions. So that’s if you have ever seen a specific, sometimes you see them in Chinese restaurants or stores where you see a mirror with this trigram, this straight line and broken lines. And those are a specific style of walking that you walk in a circular pattern. And you have two types of walk that we teach in our book. One of them is called the tiger walk and the other one is the dragon walk.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (23:20)
This is in the circle walk shark. So the tiger walk and the dragon walk. Okay.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (23:26)
So the tiger walk is very basic. Again, you’re walking around the pattern of maybe start with 16 feet, 16 step, but eventually you will narrow down the circle to 1.5 meter, which is eight steps. So you walk in a circle and you’re holding your hands in a very specific position for the tiger walk. The dragon walk requires you to hold your hands more stretched out in the air. And, you know, that is kind of a…like almost like an isometric exercise. So you are strengthening up your shoulder girdle and of course you strengthen up the intrascapular area. So that’s one of the walks that we show in that one of the two walks and then there is a stretching method.
Dr Yun Kim (24:11)
Yeah, and it’s very unusual because we normally don’t in the Western society walk in that way, do the circle walk. And I know because there’s a spiritual component to the circle walk as well. And also it really works on the lymphatics. We’re like squeezing the limbs in the inguinal area and to really work working, flushing out the lives and there aren’t many exercises that people do that work in that way. And so it’s very unusual, but it’s wonderful for our health.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (24:46)
Yeah, that’s a side effect of side benefit from that. And in terms of Dr. Yun, you mentioned the spiritual attributes that that’s called circumambulation. So you see it done, you know, around, you know, some very specific spiritual sites and all the way to the very famous Kalish mountain in Tibet, where the people would actually walk around the whole mountain as a spiritual practice or.
Dr Yun Kim (25:13)
In many traditions, Catholic tradition, know, there are different mazes where you walk in a circular way.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (25:23)
Mmm,
Dr Ron Ehrlich (25:24)
Okay. Okay. So circle. Yeah, please go on.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (25:28)
And then Dr. you might want to, as you are the actual individual in that QR code for the immunity walk.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (25:36)
Yes
Dr Yun Kim (25:37)
Immunity walk. This is again to support the immunity and especially as an adjunct treatment for cancer, for cancer patients. So this is a type of walk that’s very, very recognized and well known in China. And people get into groups and practice this walk to support the immunity. It’s sort of a qigong, it’s a qigong walk.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (26:05)
And what can give us a bit of a clues to what that is? mean, I’m trying to visualize
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (26:10)
So that requires you to move in a very specific pattern where you actually are planting your heel, you’re inhaling, you’re inhaling two times again, two dynamic inhale and an exhale. And you do this pattern one, two, three, shi shi he, which means inhale, inhale, exhale in Chinese. So it’s a shi shi he pattern done very often as a cancer support group and you will go any park in China in the morning, you will have the group of cancer patients that will be doing this.
That was originally developed by a very famous artist called Wu Lin and she was diagnosed as terminal cancer way back in the 60s and then she incorporated this walk and she went into a remission. So it became very popular and now it’s prescribed for cancer support.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (27:04)
Wow. mean, I love this integration of, of breath of movement, not just the movement of one foot in front of the other, but the movement of the body. mentioned lymphatic drainage and, the talk to me a little bit more about how that works. mean, I may, mean, movement improves lymphatic drainage, but this
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (27:27)
So what I wanted to say is that Bagua is, you know, through my, you know, 50 years of martial arts practice and observing different teachers and different styles of martial arts, what was really interesting that in the 1930s, when this, you know, this became part of the health therapeutic system in China, the Tai Chi, the Qigong, the Bagua, all those were taken away from the actual martial combat but use as a health preservation or how to enhance your own health and well-being.
So in terms of the lymphatic is something that we have observed that when you actually are walking in this pattern with this, in Chinese called koubu, it’s called like a pigeon toe, but you’re going in a circle and then you open it up, you are actually stimulating and squeezing those lips and in a daily walk or you know even if you do some basic exercise you’re a great exercise in salute to the sun you do maybe you do the 12 different partial but you don’t have that actual rotation of the hip so it is very interesting and also the ability to move the axilla and to open up the that that key area under the armpit is very interesting now the longevity factor is
Some of these teachers in the 1930s were the average age in China was around 30 years of age. you know, during the Roman Empire, the average age was 19 years of age. These teachers from that generation that was the first generation were able to live in their 80s. That is tremendous longevity factor.
Dr Yun Kim (29:18)
Do you to mention Sun Simiao? We start the book with a quote from Sun Simiao. Do you want to say it?
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (29:23)
Ahead, Dr. Ginn.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (29:26)
Absolutely! We’re with Baited Baratheon,
Dr Yun Kim (29:30)
So the first chapter, we quote this quote from the great Chinese physician Sun Simeo from ⁓ 9th century. And he says, running water is never stale and a door hinge never gets warm eaten. Thus it is with a man’s, a person’s vital energy and physique. And so this idea of movement is so important, so vital to our health. And Sun Simeo lived for how many years, Dr. Murmur?
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (30:00)
He lived 101 years of age.
Dr Yun Kim (30:03)
Which
Dr Ron Ehrlich (30:06)
In the ninth century, I imagine that was a very unusual, you this is a not well, you mentioned salute to the sun, Jacques. And I’m pleased to say that when I was at university, I did yoga and the yoga teacher said to me, if there’s one exercise you should continue to do for the rest of your life, do salute to the sun. And that’s exactly, that’s exactly what I have done for the last 30 or 40 years.
And I believe it’s been a good part of keeping my back in reasonable condition, considering my background in dentistry, not very good, you know, salute to the sun, a wonderful exercise.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (30:46)
Yeah, great exercise. know, traditionally in India, when I spend time there, traveling and visiting India, they would do it 49 repetition. Wow.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (30:58)
Okay. Okay, I think I’m doing well when I do 10 reps in the morning.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (31:02)
10 is fantastic. 10 is fantastic.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (31:05)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, five on each leg type thing, you know, kicking back anyway, let’s not go into that into the detail, but, but, this walking now, now, you know, pilgrimages have been a very interesting part of people’s life in history. The only way we get around was walking, but pilgrimages were a particularly, important thing. How, how, you know, that long sustained walk, what, what are your, how do you view that physiologically, spiritually? psychologically, do you talk about long walks in your book?
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (31:39)
I don’t think we approach the different walks that you maybe you did the walk in Spain from the northern area.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (31:48)
Yeah, I’ve done a lot of those kinds of walks, I think in tra what they’re all different, but, what’s similar is you set out at the beginning of a day with a certain mindset and you finish the day in a very different mindset. And whether it’s a pilgrimage to a religious site or not, it is a pilgrimage of some sort in your own head. Yes. Sustained walking does for you.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (32:15)
Absolutely not here in California because we’re in California can speak of the missions they have this the Spanish missions that were you know before California separated and became you know part of the state so the missions are at an 18 miles distance so every 18 miles there’s a mission and that they found out that that was a good test for one’s faith for one’s ability to walk 18 miles so
They would start in the morning at one mission and then 18 miles later, there would be the next mission and they could rest and be there. So that’s how they would go from, you know, what we consider now the Mexican border all the way up to San Francisco.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (32:58)
mission to mission. Interesting because in my experience, I’ve come to realize that about 26 kilometers, which is about 18 miles is in a day is my comfortable level. So I’d have gone quite well on that, but it’s, it’s kind of walking. What I love so love about walking is it’s accessibility. It’s really not part of a public health initiative. it? Why is it?
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (32:59)
Correct.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (33:25)
Why isn’t it being championed? mean, your book will go some way to addressing this, but how do we get it out there into the world? Apart from your book, we need to encourage people.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (33:40)
I think what’s happened, of course, with the advent of the automobile and you can see in different cities where I actually observe people, let’s say in Paris, if you’re in Paris and you see the individuals taking the metro, the subway, you will notice that they have to actually walk about 20 to 30 minutes to get to the subway. There’s at least possibly one train exchange. That’s another 20 minutes and then another 20 minutes the other way.
So you already got the one hour there and when I’m back, so they’re walking the two hours a day. But, know, unless you’re in, I’m talking for United States in cities like New York or maybe San Francisco in Los Angeles, there’s not much walking going on unless you specifically do it.
Dr Yun Kim (34:25)
There are a lot of sitting and we know as clinicians that they’re just sitting is detrimental to your health. It’s no neck pain, back pain, terrible sciatica. And you’re right, it really needs to be part of a public health campaign. We need people to walk, you don’t need expensive equipment, you don’t need to join the gym. It’s so simple, almost everyone can do it. You don’t have to be athletic.
I myself am not but I totally enjoy walking and again you know when patients come in we’ve I’ve never had a patient come in because of an injury from walking. Certainly pickleball you know lifting lifting lots of lifting injuries yoga pilates lots of injuries but never from walking so its safety is number one and as patients come in and they don’t they don’t know what to do we can’t just say well you need to exercise we need we need to give them a whole program.
That’s one of the reasons why we wrote this book, reshoot this book to give a handbook to a patient and they can start where they are. They can just start with the mudra. You know, start with a mudra walking to your car, start with one block around the house. That’s fine. And you, you build up, you build up.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (35:44)
Yeah. Yeah. No, no. I mean, and I love this integration of the breath work. talk about nutras and hand positions. We’ve done so many programs on the breath and I identified as one of my pillars of health. Obviously, life is in the breath, but to incorporate breathing into these different movements adds another dimension.
Dr Yun Kim (36:07)
Absolutely.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (36:07)
And going back into time, the great physician, Chinese physician named Watou, he’s actually in the second century was able to observe some specific animals like a bear, like a tiger, like a crane, like a monkey. And he was able to absorb their energy. In other words, what made them so special? Integrate those movements and that is what we talk about Qigong but some of them have very specific breaths so nothing new this is nothing new this is something that is part of ancient medicine that’s one of the you know they do have the acupuncture they do have the herb they have the Trinama which is the medical massage but one of the key thing is the medical movements you know Tai Chi, Qigong, walking, breath work all those martial practices are part of that.
And going back to the Shaolin temple in China, where the great patriarch Bodhidharma, he actually noticed that the monks were just sitting meditation and they were getting weak. So he developed a series of exercises somewhat similar to some of the yogic practices and they have changed and improved and were able to live much longer healthier lives.
Dr Yun Kim (37:30)
And I do want to highlight the Veteran Administration, the VA. It’s the largest healthcare program in the United States for veterans. And at the West LA VA, they offer acupuncture and Tai Chi, teach breath work, mindfulness. It’s incredible. So it’s really integrated here in Los Angeles. And so, we’re really, really proud that the, these ancient practices are part of the VA system and off offered, uh, to our, our veterans who are so deserving. Dr. Moore Marco and I have been volunteering at the, uh, PTSD clinic at the West Los Angeles VA doing.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (38:18)
Yeah, for combat veterans. do have to say that from that standpoint, the key thing here is that you have to realize that these techniques are so powerful and so important in making those changes, know, even a little bit at a time. So, you know, in terms of we were talking about walking, most people heard that.
10,000 steps you have to do that. That was from the little step counter, Manco pie is Japanese step counter that had 10,000. So it went around and then you have the 10,000 next time I should have it and show it to you. However, you know, even adding 500 to a thousand steps a day can be drastically improving your health and longevity, your cardiovascular, you know, you know, the diabetes, all the cancer prevention, all those factors just a little bit at the time and of course longevity factors.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (39:14)
Hmm. Well, I think, you know, it’s accessibility, it’s safety. It’s, you know, it’s longevity as an exercise through life, being outdoors in nature, being able to talk socially while you’re doing it. I mean, there is just, there’s so many wins in this and this is, and in your book is you’ve talked about so many different walks.
You’ve really whetted my appetite the book has, actual demonstrations of this through QR codes or links for that to be demonstrated. I mean, this is so empowering, so wonderful. really want to thank you both for this wonderful, you know, bringing it together and, and, and making it so interesting and exciting and empowering. thank you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with us here today and in your book, which I look forward to reading.
Dr Jacques MoraMarco (40:10)
Thank you, Ron. Thank you so much for all the work you’ve done over the years.
Dr Yun Kim (40:13)
Thank you very much, Dr. Ron.
Dr Ron Ehrlich (40:16)
Well, I receive many suggestions about potential guests on my podcast, but when I got this invitation, I jumped at it because as I said at the intro, walking is not just a part of my everyday life. I do try and do 10,000 steps at least today. But for two weeks every year, I go on a walking holiday and I have done for the last 12 or 13 years. And this year I’m walking in the Dolomites in Europe.
But what I love about it is it’s such a mentally, it’s a way of slowing down. It’s a way of taking the time to smell the roses, to see, to smell, to hear nature as we walk along, as we see something in the distance and walk towards it and walk through it, a village usually or a town or a street or wherever it is, just to be mindful about what we are approaching and what we are doing.
But this book takes us on a journey that is just so transformative. The book is called Walking Your Way to Vitality. Integrating walking, breath work and mindfulness into your daily exercise. And we have talked about movement, we have talked about breath work, we have talked about mindfulness, we’ve talked about the importance of being out in nature, the sociability of being together the taking the time to literally smell the roses.
This has it all. And we will of course have links to that book, Walking Your Way to Vitality. And I would recommend it very highly. There are demonstrations of each of those walks we’ve discussed in the book. Well, I would also encourage you to join Unstressed Health Community where we can discuss this and many other aspects of work and health that are empowering and good for your health and well-being. Until next time, this is Dr Ron Ehrlich. Be well.
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This podcast provides general information and discussion about medicine, health and related subjects. The content is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice or as a substitute for care by qualified medical practitioner. If you or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experiences and conclusions.
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