How Walking Yoga Is Turning Wellness Into Environmental Action For This Senior Group
practices like walking yoga and shinrin-yoku, are drawing attention to a growing disconnection from the natural world.
The way we talk about caring for the planet often feels large, distant and, at times, abstract. Climate targets, policy shifts and global pledges dominate the conversation. Yet, away from that scale, across parks, forests and open trails, there is a growing move towards slower, more deliberate forms of movement such as walking yoga and forest bathing. These practices are not framed as environmental action in the traditional sense. They do not come with slogans or urgency. Instead, they offer something more subtle: a way of restoring familiarity with nature in everyday life.
For 62-year-old Meera Sethi, this routine began as a way to stay active after retirement when she joined a society group for daily yoga. This group has a total of 10 senior citizens in the age range of 62-79 years, who come together every morning from 5 AM to 8 AM.
Sethi told News18, “I used to think exercise meant pushing yourself,” she says, pausing under a shaded path. “Now, it feels more like listening to yourself. And strangely, I feel more connected to everything around me.”
As the world marks Earth Day 2026, practices like walking yoga and shinrin-yoku, often described as forest bathing, are drawing attention not as trends, but as quiet responses to a growing disconnection from the natural world. At a time when environmental concern is high but often abstract, these practices bring the conversation back to something immediate and personal, making it less about energy-intensive equipment and more about impact.
Meanwhile, Shreya Iyer, Habit Coach Lead at Alyve Health, shares, “Spending time outdoors through mindful movement builds a sense of care towards natural spaces. It is like saying, you are far more likely to protect what you feel connected to than what you barely notice.”
Walking yoga, by contrast, asks very little in terms of performance. There are no targets to meet, no comparisons to draw. “At our age, that matters,” says Sethi. “There is no pressure. You just show up, and that is enough.”
Health coaches and behavioural experts suggest that this is where the connection to Earth Day becomes meaningful. Environmental awareness, they argue, often struggles to translate into action because it remains distant. However, spending time in nature, particularly in a mindful way, can change that. It creates an emotional reference point.
At the same time, much of modern fitness, for all its benefits, is built around energy-intensive systems and consumption. Air-conditioned gyms, machines, specialised gear, supplements and memberships have become the norm. On one hand, they offer structure and convenience; on the other, they quietly increase our environmental footprint.
Sethi reflects on this without framing it as activism. “We didn’t start this for the environment,” she says. “But now, if I see litter in the park, I notice it. Earlier, I might not have.”
In this context, Shreya shares four reasons why you should incorporate a simple nature-based practice at least once in your week (it doesn’t have to be too fancy; a walk, a trek, or a bicycle ride all count too):
First, it regulates your nervous system while cultivating mindfulness. Slow, rhythmic movement paired with natural surroundings gently shifts you into a calmer state, making it easier to feel present without forcing it.
Second, it supports your attention span. In a world of endless scrolling and constant stimulation, being in a low-stimulus environment allows your mind to sustain focus and immerse yourself in the experience.
Third, it supports joint health. Low-impact movement improves mobility and strength while minimising strain and injury risk.
Finally, it encourages true letting go. There’s no comparison, no performance, no metrics. This creates space to reconnect with yourself in a more intuitive, unfiltered way.
As wellness evolves, there is now room for moving beyond how hard you can push and instead focusing on how deeply you can connect. Sometimes, the most meaningful transformations come not from intensity, but from intention.