Coaching and Walking or Conscious Walking

I have discovered in my own life that walking in nature as a regular practice has brought untold benefits to my well being, my happiness and personal effectiveness. And I have seen similar results with friends and clients.

There are different purposes when going on a walk. It can be about nurturing a sense of adventure when hiking the rice fields of Bali or the desert of Mauritania. Or testing physical boundaries, the sense of accomplishment and sheer sense of elation at climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or passing through 5000m high passes in Peru. It can be about exploration and slowing down to meet others on the way as I have experienced in Greece or Wales. Walks on Sunday with a friend are usually about sharing the pleasure of the outdoors and good conversation. The pilgrimage I made to Santiago was mainly about reconnecting with my life vision.

What I have come to realise is that the physical action of walking strengthens the connection with our body and we discover that nature mirrors our inner world. Walking creates an ideal context for coaching. We can be more open and vulnerable because we experience the solidity of the bond between us and the world. We are more creative as research at Stanford university has shown. It is easier to be present to what is, in the moment, so that we can re-evaluate our problems from a different perspective. Movement helps emotions (E-motions) to flow more freely and stuck-ness can dissolve, giving a greater sense of freedom. Communication becomes more simple and authentic, with silences and time to explore our thoughts, feelings and sensations.

Walking and coaching is different from walking and talking (which is great in itself). During the walk we often discover a clear sense of presence, power, balance and strength - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. From that point, coaching then guides the unfolding of the experience:  clarifying the intention, deepening the growing sense of self awareness, creating meaning, making choices and taking actions.  Coaching and walking is about consciously harnessing the experience of wandering in nature to achieve transformation.

So next time you consider hiring a coach, why not add walking and nature into the mix? If you are interested in the topic or would like to experience coaching and walking, get in touch!

Pilgrimage to Santiago - learning from long distance walking - Part 2

And here is the second part of my experience walking on the Camino to Santiago. The Camino is like living through a concentrated period of life where you have time to pause and reflect: baggage get thrown, fear of failure is overcome, rules get broken.  

4.  Minimalism

Carrying all that you need on your back for a few weeks is truly to physically experience the concept of minimalism. I started my journey with 10kg in my backpack, and ended the journey with 6Kg (not counting food or water). In our daily lives, we don't realise how much all the stuff we have to make our lives easier actually makes our lives more complex, how it ‘ties us down’.  And how much of what we have we never use; most women wear between 20-30% of what's in their wardrobe.  Sound familiar?

What we carry can also be viewed as a metaphor for our fears; not having enough and/or not being enough.  Most first timers on the Camino shed weight (from their packs and themselves) as they walk and feel freer as a result.

It's a difficult but powerful experience to trust we have and are enough. And ‘to know’ that the rest we will find on our way.

5. Purpose, achievement and fear of failure

When I started my journey on the Camino in France I did not know how far I would be able to go. I hoped I would get to Saint Jean Pied de Port, at the border with Spain and about halfway to Santiago. It was only after a few weeks that reaching Santiago became a real possibility. But, I also knew I might not get there - and many pilgrims don't, usually due to injuries.

When we take a risk and do something, there is always the possibility of failing.

Having a purpose positively impacts motivation, and this is a really useful tool to overcome bad weather, bedbugs, snorers, aches, pains and just plain tiredness. To have a purpose helps us to truly engage in what we do. It is one of the pillars for happiness in positive psychology: to engage in an activity that is both truly interesting and also represents a challenge.

When the purpose is completed the sense of achievement is also a very powerful experience, but the journey is what creates the sense of achievement.

6. The rules

I came across two sacred rules on the Camino that, if broken, can make the die-hard pilgrims really upset and make you feel less of a true pilgrim.  Firstly ‘you must walk every kilometer of the Camino’ (i.e. you don't cheat by taking a bus or a train when you are tired or the weather is really bad) and secondly ‘you don't reserve your hostel in advance’ (pilgrims in the Middle Ages couldn’t, so nor should you - the Camino will provide a bed).

 How are you with rules? Part of me was reacting against what seemed to be nonsensical rules and part of me wanted to do the Camino 'right'. So I found my own way with these rules. I did not walk every kilometer of the Camino but the rule made me realise that if I broke it too often, then it would be very tempting to stop walking altogether. And I really really wanted to finish.  At the beginning of my trip, I booked the hostels in advance. But I understood that this was limiting my freedom to stop whenever and wherever I wanted. As a result, I became more flexible.

So I also learned that everyone has their own rules for when to break these rules. Terry Pratchett summarises well in Thief of Time the wisdom I took from this experience: " Look, that's why there's rules, understand? So that you think before you break 'em"

Pilgrimage to Santiago - learning from long distance walking - Part 1

In spring of 2018 I made the decision to walk to the city of Santiago, in Spain, to follow on the steps of so many pilgrims before me. The idea had been in the back of my mind for a long time, waiting for the right moment, and suddenly all the stars aligned to make it possible. I have hiked on four of the five continents (Antarctica is a tiny bit too cold for me) but I had never walked 1500km in a two month journey.  It sounded like a very, very long way. I felt both curiosity and excitement about my decision.  Excitement is a mixture of both joy and fear; and is not always the most comfortable of states. The 'grown up' part of me was definitely afraid of what I was  committing to. The 'little girl' was jumping wit happiness.

John O'Donohue wrote:

"At its heart, the journey of each life is a pilgrimage through unforeseen sacred places that enlarge and enrich the soul".

Beautiful words, and apt for my pilgrimage to Santiago. This turned out to be a rich and powerful experience with prolonged rippling effects into my life. I would like to share some of the wisdom (I like to think of them as such) I gained from this trip. In future posts, I will go into more depth about the benefits of integrating coaching and walking.

Part 1

1. The discomfort of the unknown

There are many things that are unknown when you embark on a long pilgrimage. On a practical level, would I find a comfortable bed to rest my tired being every evening, especially my tired feet? Would I physically and mentally be able to walk this mythical path that many thousands of pilgrims had trodden before me since the 9th century? No pressure, right? Would I get some fresh inspirations on how to keep living my life in a meaningful way?  I like to ask big questions!

I've learned that it is very uncomfortable for me to stay with the unknown when there is no work or people around me to distract me, and I think this is familiar to a great many people. However, the unknown can be a great source of creativity. For something new to emerge, we need to be able to first allow the ‘not knowing’. Easy on paper, but absolutely not easy in real life. On the way to Santiago I learned, albeit slowly, to trust that ‘the Camino provides’. 

Or, in other words, to trust that life provides. 

2. Flying eternity

Walking, I have found, has the quality of slowing down time. It took me two months to walk from Le Puy-en-Velais in France to Santiago in Spain. The same journey would have taken me two days by car or two hours by plane.  In our fast paced world, we are not used to choosing the slowest route to our goals. But it is by slowing down, I think, that we have more time to see what's going on around us, to be touched by beauty and moved by nature, to meet and appreciate others and to sense and feel what is going on inside of us. Walking day after day became a meditative practice for me. At the same time, the routine of - getting up early, walking, eating, sleeping - had a profoundly calming effect. At the beginning it felt like the experience would never end. Then, after a while, the notion of time itself became diluted as I began to fully take part in moment-to-moment life. And, suddenly, I had almost reached my destination.

The Camino invites us to slow down in order to sense, experience, enjoy and participate in life fully.

3. You're never alone

Many pilgrims decide to go on the pilgrimage on their own, as was the case for me. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with myself, away from a busy life. It is a chance to see how much you rely on yourself or on others.  A chance to listen internally to what you need in each moment and how you are able to fulfill this need or manage the frustration. You can take decisions without having to consider the opinions of others, liberating but also scary. I learned on the Camino though, that there is always someone there for you: to walk with, to share your story with, to drink a coffee with. The Camino can be a very social experience, if you want it to be.

More than anything else, I learned there is always help when you dare to ask for it!