The Hatha Yoga of Walking?

Note: The following paragraph is the result of insights the author experienced while trekking through the Himalayan mountains of Tibet.

The rarefied air of high altitudes has similar effects as certain exercises of pranayama, because it compels us to regulate our breathing in a particular way, especially when climbing or walking long distances. One has to inhale twice or thrice the quantity of air which one would need at sea-level, and consequently the heart has to perform a much heavier task. On the other hand the weight of one’s body is substantially reduced, so that one’s muscles seem to lift one almost without effort. But precisely this is a source of danger, because one is not immediately conscious that lungs and heart are at a great disadvantage, and only the fact that one is very soon out of breath, and that the heart begins to race in a frightening manner, reminds one that it is necessary to control one’s movements carefully. Tibetans themselves walk very slowly, but at a steady pace, bringing their breath in perfect harmony with their movement. Walking, therefore, becomes almost a kind of conscious hatha-yoga or breathing exercise, especially when accompanied by rhythmic recitations of sacred formulas (mantras), as is the habit with many Tibetans. This has a very tranquilizing and energizing effect, as I found from my own experience.

Lama Anagarika Govinda
from The Way of the While Clouds; A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet