Pre-trek training must be worked up to and should take place a minimum of 5 days a week, 6 weeks prior to departure (some suggestions are):

• Running 2.5-3.5 miles without stopping (moderate pace)
  or
• Stair climbing 35-40 minutes (walking them is enough)
• Breaking in your trekking boots (if new) preferably 150 miles

Internal (Yogic) Stages of Trekking

It is difficult to separate the physical and internal or personal stages of a trek. They like all things are connected and dependent upon one another. This is why yoga is such a valuable tool on trek. The physical challenges of a trek interplay with the mental and energetic elements of our nature, very much like they do in the practice of yoga. In turn, our mental and energetic awareness or challenges impact our physical experience. Yoga is a very valuable tool in working with our multi-leveled experience of trekking precisely because it gives us a way to access this awareness. By letting go of preconceived notions of how things will feel or look, we perpetually come into contact with what is. This allows one to recommit to the process multiple times a day if necessary.

That being said, one who has physically conditioned properly for the trek could still have a tough time if they are not also mentally conditioned or at least prepared for challenges of this nature. In a different scenario, one who may have cultivated a healthy mental attitude but has less physical conditioning might manage to get physically stronger, on trek, very quickly with the help of their mental outlook. So, to go on this type of a journey, one should expect and be willing to be stripped down mentally and emotionally, as well as challenged physically. And while the challenges and sacrifices are many, the lasting gifts are so much greater.

copyright © Paul Swen

Stages of an Actual Trek

The first day is the "on your knees" reality check. This is the point where the body gets a taste of what is expected of it, and more often then not, it is one of the easier day's terrain, distance and altitude wise. While this first day provides the trekker with his/her first experience of what to expect, it is invaluable to not be too attached to how any given day might unfold. Each day is a new one and therefore the body has that much more actual experience with which to acclimatize and get stronger. As soon as one hits the wall physically, mentally or emotionally there is the potential for the recommitment, which is so critical — so be prepared for it. Endurance is key and it must be built up. Keeping a steady mental focus becomes more challenging when the physical elements are all constantly changing, not just day to day, but hour to hour and minute to minute.

Practicing yoga requires that we work with our physical, mental and emotional edges, and the same is true of being on trek or pilgrimage. No matter what our level of preparation, we will be called upon to move deeper or differently than we had previously anticipated.