Mind, Movement & Design. A Manifesto.

Here's some light reading to kick off my blog... I thought i'd start with a manifesto.

In the past I've written a few blog posts and never really continued with anything on a personal level. I've always hidden behind a triathlon race report, a training session/program or a helpful article for the clients at my personal training studio. I have built a career around fitness and used it as a vehicle to inspire change, for people who want to lose weight, get fitter, complete a triathlon or run, quit smoking, and lately for companies who want apply innovation, a system or process to enhance a user experience that inspires change. I've helped people connect to their body, to understand movement, and I hope to continue my personal journey of discovery and apply it through creative design for others too.

The MIND is universal.

... and we're all made of the same stuff. Our physiology works in the same way and the governing laws of physics don't change.  

I believe in a universal energy that keeps us upright. An energy that flows through the gateway our mind and at that stage, anything can happen. It all depends on where you choose to send that energy which then manifests itself in the physical World.  

Upon every new thought or experience we are influenced on one side by our logical, reasonable, adult, human, conscious, cognitive brain, and on the other side our, fight, flight or freeze emotionally unstable, subconscious brain. It's like a game where one team (The Frontal Lobe Team) have considered all the risks, have a rigid structure and precisely plan every move Vs a stronger faster team (The Limbic Brain Team) with innate natural flow that can be unpredictable and dangerous. On-top of all this, we have memories and past experiences that have formed both positive and negative habits. We have created rules for ourselves and structured thinking patterns that influence our mindsets also. 

When we find ourselves in a "situation" and need to wiggle our way out, or when we have a huge goal we're striving to achieve, the fundamental laws remain constant. The challenges come when we have to get out of our own way, let go of the ego, find the true reason why (situational and intentional), consider the risks, and open up to the deeper sub-conscious power of universal flow. It is always there. It's fast and magnetic. 

MOVEMENT is the manifestation of our mind.

Represented by structural tissue under the influence of emotion and logic. Movement is also a method for sensory and proprioceptive feedback to the brain. We can design our movements to become more efficient, and more expressive to open our mind. So the body can also influence the brain! It's a two way street. 

We move, and action is taken. We impact our space. We talk and we move. We create an output and influence the environment that surrounds us. We put our stamp on the community, we establish connections and influence neural network pathways that become us. 

For example, if I said to imagine two different people, and each time, try to connect with their feelings in each case separately: 

  1. a creepy man with psychotically evil intentions

  2. a happy, healthy person who's just met the love of their life

What did you notice? Did you feel any different? Did your posture change? Did I ask you to change your physical position? If you just pictured them as individuals, how did their posture differ? Did they have a different body shape?

This is a quick representation of how I see the connection of the mind, the brain, the emotions, and the possibility of uniquely different physiological outcomes. 

What excites me most about this... We have the ability to increase our awareness and influence the entire process. We can design our thoughts to change our body, and we can design the way we move to change our mind. The way we hold our frame and conduct our movements will influence those around us. We can decide on the environment we put ourselves in, we can learn more about our mind, and move forward with intentional flow. 

DESIGN can be structured, scientific, and expressively creative.

I loosely use 'design' as a word to describe the connection between planning and freedom, structure and flow, mind and body, expression and process, creativeness and logic, management and playfulness etc. You always have a choice on what to think, so I believe you can design your mind too.

Naturally I gravitate towards tasks that require strategic thinking and creative solutions. It's a challenge, but often the most rewarding type or 'work' for me. Implementing a process and enhancing an environment for others to thrive in, really gets my juices flowing.

Design is playtime that brings a vibrant spirit to everything. Pick up a guitar and strum a tune that's never been played before. We can design our plans and we can get creative, we can build a system or a process and decide to completely let go, have fun and ultimately be free. 

These are just ideas. 

From where I stand right now, I feel that MIND, MOVEMENT & DESIGN are deeply connected. Finding an unforced, egoless flow is what I seek in my personal life and what I constantly strive to design for clients, customers, end-users, and recipients of my work. 

So there you have it. The foundation of my blog. I've never really expressed my deepest beliefs to connect with my readers, athletes or clients. With more years under my belt within the fitness industry (and in any experience I guess?) comes a sense of awareness and belonging. In the future, I doubt I'll go this deep on a topic, but I really wanted to get this out first. If I am to continue writing here, I want to express anything that comes to mind and I know i'll always have something to refer back to if I start this way.