Walking It Out: Healing in Every Step
Earlier this month during WNBA All Star weekend, I walked with my GirlTrek—and honestly, it saved me. They were the MVP (Most Valuable Player) that weekend.
And yes, this is an unapologetic plug for GirlTrek—the largest health movement for Black women and girls in the U.S., encouraging us to walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, as a radical act of self-care.
Body. Soul. Spirit.
We began with stillness.
Before our feet hit the path, we centered ourselves—breathing deeply, meditating, grounding.
Only then did we begin walking. Slowly, deliberately. With intention. And with each step, something in me started to release.
Some things have been on my heart lately—the unexpected loss of someone special, the kind of grief that lingers quietly. In the midst of it all, I’ve been extra grateful for birthday dinners, celebrations, meaningful conversations, movie nights, and basketball games. They’ve been abundant pockets of joy.
And this walk with GirlTrek was part of that joy—a moment of movement, yes, but also a moment of deep release and restoration.
But as we moved, the rhythm of our steps became a rhythm for my spirit. The things I had boxed up started to breathe again.
I didn’t need to explain what I was feeling. I didn’t need to solve anything.
I just needed to move—one healing step at a time.
The Sacred Practice of Walking
Vanessa Garrison, one of the co-founders of Girl Trek.
Click link for info https://www.girltrek.org/about-us/
There’s something deeply spiritual about walking.
It’s more than exercise—it’s prayer in motion. Meditation with momentum.
A sacred rhythm that opens the heart and clears the mind.
The pace, the open air, the quiet moments between words— they create space for clarity and calm. I’ve had days when walking helped me process grief, stress, and decisions I didn’t yet have language for.
Sometimes healing doesn’t come in answers. It comes in motion.
Walking Through Compartmentalization
Compartmentalizing is a temporary survival strategy. It’s given me a temporary place to hold sorrow, anger, and uncertainty until I had the capacity to deal with them. And sometimes, that’s necessary.
We function so we can keep going.
But the danger is staying stuck—letting those compartments become walls.
Walking has helped me gently open those boxes.
It reminds me I’m human. That I can feel and still move forward. That healing is not linear. And forward doesn’t always mean fast.
The Gift of Walking with Someone
Walking in community reminded me: we’re not meant to walk this journey alone.
There is something sacred about companionship—about someone being beside you, step for step, no words needed. Just presence.
We laughed, we breathed, we moved.
And in that shared silence and joy, we reminded each other what it means to keep going—together.
At the end of our walk, we paused once more—this time with gratitude.
A closing affirmation anchored us.
We took time to look each other in the eye and say “I see you”
It was simple, but it sealed the healing in.
Mind, Body, and Soul Benefits
Physically, walking lifts your mood, lowers stress, improves blood pressure, and strengthens the heart.
But the soul benefits are just as powerful:
Presence
Grounding
Space for divine whisperings
Gentle reminders that you are alive, still here, still moving.
God of the journey,
Thank You for the gift of motion and stillness,
for the way walking brings clarity and peace.
Thank You for companions who meet us on the path,
for breath, for rhythm, for healing that comes
not all at once, but step by step.
Help us keep walking,
even when the way is heavy.
Still Walking
Sheila
Sharing the healing power of community and motion.