The rain had just passed. The stones of the ghat still glistened, carrying the scent of wet earth and river. I began to walk, slowly, without a destination. The world was awake in fragments — a priest unrolling his mat, a boatman tightening his rope, the first call of a koel. In that in-between hour, every step felt less like movement and more like arrival.
Walking had once been a way of knowing — of returning to myself through breath, pace, and rhythm. But now, I was discovering something subtler: with each step, I was not just knowing the path. I was becoming the path.
From Knowing to Becoming
Knowing happens in the mind: we observe, reflect, and realize.
Becoming happens in the soul: we dissolve, transform, and emerge anew.
When you walk long enough without distraction, something shifts. The “I” that observes slowly thins out. The weight of your stories, your doubts, even your ambitions — they begin to soften. What remains is a body in motion, a rhythm in sync with the earth.
You are no longer the traveler; you are the trail.
The Indian Lens of Walking
In our traditions, walking has never been a casual act.
Every parikrama around a temple, every yatra to a holy site, every barefoot circumambulation of a sacred tree is not about reaching somewhere. It is about becoming someone else through the repetition of steps.
The sages knew: what the mind resists, the body releases through rhythm. In Sanskrit, the word sādhanā (spiritual practice) comes from the root sādh — to accomplish, to make real. Walking, done with awareness, is itself a sādhanā: each round, each turn, each mile is a quiet chiseling of the self.
A Ritual of Becoming
Here is a simple practice you can try:
- Set an Intention (Sankalpa)
Before you begin, whisper to yourself:
“With each step, may I walk into clarity, into peace, into becoming.” - Walk Barefoot if Possible
On grass, sand, or soil. Let the earth steady you. If not, simply walk slowly, without rush. - Dissolve the “I”
Instead of thinking I am walking, notice:
Walking is happening. Breath is flowing. Life is moving.
With repetition, you may sense it: the one who walks, the path itself, and the act of walking begin to merge.
Closing Reflection
If knowing through walking is like reading the script of your life, becoming through walking is like stepping into the role itself — unscripted, alive, unfolding.
The next time you walk, don’t just know the path.
Let yourself become the path.