Dan Richards

If the body is following the feet, that's a particularly poor way of "walking." I'd call that more along the lines of repeated stumbling. A lot of people do it, especially in Western culture. I'd be careful, too, using the idea of "natural," because if you're not starting with a proper reference point, everything else gets thrown out of whack. Sort of like not tuning a guitar correctly, and then expecting that just playing naturally will give better results.

I think it's important to have some basic reference points that are in tune and aligned.

theninthwave, there's a lot of ways to approach relearning to walk. One I could suggest on a practical level is riding a bike. A bike is a great tool for a number of things. The position of the body on a bike is good because the hips remain stable, the abdominal area centered, and the legs have a feeling of being suspended. And with that, the legs are free to move. Also the circular/spiraling movement of the legs from pedaling gives a lot of insight into the "pedaling" motion that legs and feet are patterning when someone moves gracefully and with ease - as if they're floating.

Ride a bike for awhile, even a stationary bike, and you'll notice a few core things that enhance walking: a strengthened abdominal center - which results in a more centered and aligned core. Also, with a stronger core, the muscles in the back will relax, as they're not being improperly used to compensate for the lack of a weak center. You'll also notice you're posture is more aligned. And you'll have the feeling that you're using you're body to move - that you're hips are more settled and stable on the horizontal plane relative to the ground.

Walking, when done with intrinsic strength, and with better alignment - not only with the body structure, but also the relationship between the various moving parts - is effortless and powerful.

I think it's good you brought up such a basic topic, and that you're willing and wanting to re-examine and explore.

My 2¢. Cheers...