I think you’d enjoy The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul. She discusses how movement enhances cognition and writes about how the brain at cognitive overload extends into the body (often in motion) and the environment to solve problems and excite new ideas. 💡
Jane- Thank you for this timely recommendation. I just read the synopsis, and it's speaking directly to my current challenge with reconciling my brain and body. I've added it to my reading list. ❤️
Love it, Jesse. I just read a book on the Pitjantjatjara people of central Australia. When they sat, it was on the ground, and their mobility was almost unbelievable. Seeing a man above 60 sit between his legs with his shins on the ground, or in a flawless squat, is a worthy goal.
Tangential to your point, sitting without the comfort of a chair forces constant movement: getting up, walking a bit, switching positions. It almost becomes a "workout", that invention of the modern world.
Incredible point, Sam. Constant movement, or at least shifting, is needed without a chair. A darker tangent I almost expanded in this piece was the "chair addiction" I witness everywhere- our children's sports games, for instance; why would I need a chair to watch my child's game after sitting all day? The goal seems to be to stay seated in every circumstance.
It does not take much to envision the repercussions, both health-wise and culturally.
Thank you, David. Yes- that would be great. My local trails are almost ready- they've been too wet. Each week, we get a little closer, but then it rains again. Soon I hope 🤞
It’s a good one to dig deep into for sure; there is so much history in words like these. This one opened up quite a bit of history and nuance in terms of meaning, interpretation, and events.
Been thinking on this same topic quite a bit as I've started to take on more outdoor projects this spring. My corporate computer hands are soft but it doesn't take long for them get more rugged. Trying to find a middle ground.
Yes, it’s a challenge for sure. My only success has been to be very rigid with my schedule, especially when it comes to outside/physical projects. Otherwise, they often take the back-burner.
I love this piece, Jesse. I think it was in The Outsiders (though it's been a long time since I read it, so could be wrong), that when the main character was having trouble sleeping, a doctor told him to play more football; that he needed to exhaust his body to settle his mind. Might not be football for most folks, but you hit on how much the physical is connected to a healthy mind, a healthy soul.
Dan- Yes, exactly. The physical component is likely magnified when we add in the social element- a multiplier effect, perhaps. My thinking is that our bodies are sore, but we also change the brain chemistry to snap us out of whatever habits of mind we're stuck in. Forcing ourselves to break those habits is the challenge (for me, at least).
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful comments.
Excellent piece, Jesse. I'm often one to espouse "movement is medicine," sometimes too much. Your essay shows the necessity of movement's antipode as much as the necessity of movement. "Stillness is a needed night to movement’s day." We can't always be in motion; we shouldn't always be still.
That's a challenge for me, too...movement for the sake of movement usually leads to me being scattered. So my latest quest is to figure out where the line is. Thank you for reading.
I think you’d enjoy The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul. She discusses how movement enhances cognition and writes about how the brain at cognitive overload extends into the body (often in motion) and the environment to solve problems and excite new ideas. 💡
Jane- Thank you for this timely recommendation. I just read the synopsis, and it's speaking directly to my current challenge with reconciling my brain and body. I've added it to my reading list. ❤️
I loved that book too. It is great to listen to - Annie Murphy Paul, the author, reads it and her intonation adds to the sense and meaning.
It's next on my reading list. 👍🏻
Love it, Jesse. I just read a book on the Pitjantjatjara people of central Australia. When they sat, it was on the ground, and their mobility was almost unbelievable. Seeing a man above 60 sit between his legs with his shins on the ground, or in a flawless squat, is a worthy goal.
Tangential to your point, sitting without the comfort of a chair forces constant movement: getting up, walking a bit, switching positions. It almost becomes a "workout", that invention of the modern world.
Incredible point, Sam. Constant movement, or at least shifting, is needed without a chair. A darker tangent I almost expanded in this piece was the "chair addiction" I witness everywhere- our children's sports games, for instance; why would I need a chair to watch my child's game after sitting all day? The goal seems to be to stay seated in every circumstance.
It does not take much to envision the repercussions, both health-wise and culturally.
Great piece, Jesse. I really enjoyed this. Finding that balance is so key for scoring soul points.
Hoping to chat about MTB together soon- I feel I've already learned a lot of life lessons on the trail and would be great to compare notes.
Thank you, David. Yes- that would be great. My local trails are almost ready- they've been too wet. Each week, we get a little closer, but then it rains again. Soon I hope 🤞
I loved this post Jesse. Ataraxia (Greek): “freedom from trouble or anxiety” - that is going in my second brain!
It’s a good one to dig deep into for sure; there is so much history in words like these. This one opened up quite a bit of history and nuance in terms of meaning, interpretation, and events.
Been thinking on this same topic quite a bit as I've started to take on more outdoor projects this spring. My corporate computer hands are soft but it doesn't take long for them get more rugged. Trying to find a middle ground.
Yes, it’s a challenge for sure. My only success has been to be very rigid with my schedule, especially when it comes to outside/physical projects. Otherwise, they often take the back-burner.
I love this piece, Jesse. I think it was in The Outsiders (though it's been a long time since I read it, so could be wrong), that when the main character was having trouble sleeping, a doctor told him to play more football; that he needed to exhaust his body to settle his mind. Might not be football for most folks, but you hit on how much the physical is connected to a healthy mind, a healthy soul.
Dan- Yes, exactly. The physical component is likely magnified when we add in the social element- a multiplier effect, perhaps. My thinking is that our bodies are sore, but we also change the brain chemistry to snap us out of whatever habits of mind we're stuck in. Forcing ourselves to break those habits is the challenge (for me, at least).
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful comments.
Excellent piece, Jesse. I'm often one to espouse "movement is medicine," sometimes too much. Your essay shows the necessity of movement's antipode as much as the necessity of movement. "Stillness is a needed night to movement’s day." We can't always be in motion; we shouldn't always be still.
That's a challenge for me, too...movement for the sake of movement usually leads to me being scattered. So my latest quest is to figure out where the line is. Thank you for reading.