The Mind Body Connection

At Amovita one of our passions is walking in the outdoors. We love it so much in fact that we try to do as much of our work outside as possible.

We host facilitated NetWalks in Richmond and Bushy parks and even some of our workshops and coaching sessions are held outdoors with Walking to Clarity and our Steps to Success programmes.

It's not just because of the natural vitality that can be restored to us by being in nature and green spaces, there is also a scientific and physiological method to our madness and the article blow might help to give some further insight.
Why walk?
The Mind Body Connection.
Walking is one of the best forms of exercise available to us. We can do it anywhere, anytime and it doesn’t cost the earth, far from it. In fact there’s a lot to be said for taking up walking for those keener to go greener. Increasing your personal footfall while reducing the potential carbon footprint created by supporting high powered, high tech, gyms might be something to ponder in these changing times.

We all know the health benefits of getting more regular exercise and more recently it has now been proven that spending time in nature and green spaces is good for you! But you don’t need me to tell you that. Walking in the green dramatically reduces stress levels, can reduce high blood pressure and lower heart rate in a matter of minutes. Within just half an hour it affects our general state of well being and ease.

We can take the simple act of walking a step further, if you’ll excuse the pun.
Your mind and body are inextricably linked. What you do with one affects the other and vice versa. As the old saying goes “healthy body, healthy mind” but what does this really mean, and what are the implications for us?
The area of the Mind and Body connection is not only fascinating but vast, so I will briefly explore one small part here.

Before we learnt to walk there was the arduous task of crawling everywhere, not to mention the discovery that coffee tables with sharp corners happen to be at head height!

If you have ever had the joy of watching a baby crawl, you would have noticed that they move diagonally opposite limbs together, the left leg moves with the right arm and vice versa.

This act of crawling, in addition to moving us around, serves the function of facilitating the cross over of neural pathways between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and is essential for healthy development.

Studies have shown that babies left to crawl for longer develop certain competencies and core intelligences faster, and more fully, than those who don’t. This is due to the integration and balance created between the two sides of the brain and the functions that they facilitate.

The left and right hemispheres of our brain compute information in different ways. In simplistic terms: one side prefers working in a random, creative fashion and the other in a process driven, linear fashion. Each mode of processing lends itself to certain tasks. Mathematical and linguistic endeavours, for example, favour left brain linear processes.

We will naturally have a dominant side and tend to learn and think with the preferences of that side of the brain. As different tasks and skills require different modes of operation, as far as the brain is concerned, it follows that we can be much more effective if we use the resources of our brain in a much more balanced way.
Walking, particularly the Amovita way, when the arms are brought into play to such a great extent, provides for us a similar function to that of crawling.
While walking in this way you are also more able to access the processing capabilities of each side of the brain simultaneously.

You can use the movement of your body to; facilitate creative problem solving; walk through scenarios; step over blockers to success and take life’s challenges in your stride. With the help of an experienced coach this process can revolutionise the way you walk through life. Email walkingtoclarity@amovita.co.uk for more information on walking coaching sessions in Richmond Park.