Darwin's Sandwalk Thinking Path (TedGrant/Wikipedia Commons)
I've been reading an interesting book called "How to Think About Exercise" by Damon Young and the School of Life. One idea particularly struck a chord with me as I have noticed it myself. Young talks about Charles Darwin, who deliberately took several walks a day along a sandy lane ("thinking path") near his home - he did this in all weathers at set times of the day. It was where he did his "hard thinking" as his son said when describing his daily routine later. It is thought that certain movement which requires effort but not concentration can promote a meditative state of mind, allowing the mind to wander freely and join together impressions and ideas, promoting creativity.
What is the specific link between walking and thinking? The traditional NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) approach relates specific categories of movement (breathing patterns, eye movements, gestures) to specific mental processes (visual memory, internal dialogue, etc.). Repetitive physical activity is thought to relate to the more general state of mind and thus provide a more general context for our thinking processes. When I met Patrick Browning, the hypnotherapist at Paul's Cancer Support Centre, I got very upset during one of our discussions, and he helped me by showing me how to tap my fingers on my knee - I stopped crying almost immediately which was a very strange sensation. I also remember a particularly bleak time after my surgery when I was depressed and feeling sorry for myself- I forced myself to go outside in all weathers to trudge/shuffle around Wandsworth Common - normally a 10 min walk would take me about 30 mins. But it seemed like a small triumph every day, just to complete a circuit and get some fresh air along with a bit of movement.
When I visited the Penny Brohn Centre a few years ago, we were encouraged to make small sustainable changes to our lives to improve our fitness. One thing on my list was to walk to the station every day because I had got into the lazy habit of getting on a bus. Frequently the bus was full, late, and I loathe steamy buses in rainy weather but I had just got used to doing it and didn't realise how miserable it was making me. It's only a 12 min walk so I made it a new habit to walk and don't even consider the bus an option any more.
I know that you always read about exercise being good for you, but I really began to notice that my thoughts weren't necessarily worrying about the day ahead or anything in particular, they just swirled around gently and came to settle like a feather landing, giving a bit of space above them like having extra stretch room. I do notice that sometimes I can come to a decision, nothing major, just the next step in some project. I really treasure this time, just a few minutes before the madness of the day to not think about much. As an added bonus, my experiments with mindfulness (click on the link to try the Headspace walking meditation podcast) have helped me notice small things en route. For example, the other day I posted on FB a picture of some plane vapour trails which really looked amazing - there were about 10 of them at least, the air was so still and clear, and they fanned off into the blue horizon.
What is the specific link between walking and thinking? The traditional NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) approach relates specific categories of movement (breathing patterns, eye movements, gestures) to specific mental processes (visual memory, internal dialogue, etc.). Repetitive physical activity is thought to relate to the more general state of mind and thus provide a more general context for our thinking processes. When I met Patrick Browning, the hypnotherapist at Paul's Cancer Support Centre, I got very upset during one of our discussions, and he helped me by showing me how to tap my fingers on my knee - I stopped crying almost immediately which was a very strange sensation. I also remember a particularly bleak time after my surgery when I was depressed and feeling sorry for myself- I forced myself to go outside in all weathers to trudge/shuffle around Wandsworth Common - normally a 10 min walk would take me about 30 mins. But it seemed like a small triumph every day, just to complete a circuit and get some fresh air along with a bit of movement.
When I visited the Penny Brohn Centre a few years ago, we were encouraged to make small sustainable changes to our lives to improve our fitness. One thing on my list was to walk to the station every day because I had got into the lazy habit of getting on a bus. Frequently the bus was full, late, and I loathe steamy buses in rainy weather but I had just got used to doing it and didn't realise how miserable it was making me. It's only a 12 min walk so I made it a new habit to walk and don't even consider the bus an option any more.
I know that you always read about exercise being good for you, but I really began to notice that my thoughts weren't necessarily worrying about the day ahead or anything in particular, they just swirled around gently and came to settle like a feather landing, giving a bit of space above them like having extra stretch room. I do notice that sometimes I can come to a decision, nothing major, just the next step in some project. I really treasure this time, just a few minutes before the madness of the day to not think about much. As an added bonus, my experiments with mindfulness (click on the link to try the Headspace walking meditation podcast) have helped me notice small things en route. For example, the other day I posted on FB a picture of some plane vapour trails which really looked amazing - there were about 10 of them at least, the air was so still and clear, and they fanned off into the blue horizon.
Vapour trails, St. John's Hill, 25/01/16
Over the winter at a certain crossroads I catch a whiff of Winter-flowering jasmine in a pocket-sized corner park, a brilliant sweet scent above the exhaust fumes. There is always a bird or two tweeting in the trees or a local roof top, or crows eating their urban carrion (fried chicken or a piece of burger bun). Once even a squirrel on a tree in the main road - how did he get there? - marooned on a island of two trees. One special day I saw a jersey tiger moth, looking very exotic by the railway track.
Jersey Tiger Moth
These small walks allow your mind to be a bit looser and remove the focused mindset you often seem to need to get through a busy day. In a similar way, the writer Haruki Murakami in his book "What I talk about when I talk about running" describes how running can free his mind: "Occasionally, hardly ever really, I get an idea to use in a novel. But really as I run, I don't think much of anything worth remembering."
It is easy to forget that the mind and the body are closely connected, but good to remember that the word "heal" means "whole". I like this quote from Young:
The point is not that we have to be Olympians, tracking personal bests with tailored dawn training schedules. We need not be the fastest, strongest or most agile. The point is that exercise can be a commitment to wholeness; to a life enriched and enhanced by physical and mental striving. Darwin was no professional athlete: but he knew about fitness and flourishing
The point is not that we have to be Olympians, tracking personal bests with tailored dawn training schedules. We need not be the fastest, strongest or most agile. The point is that exercise can be a commitment to wholeness; to a life enriched and enhanced by physical and mental striving. Darwin was no professional athlete: but he knew about fitness and flourishing
