As a trainer I have never felt more alive than when running (sometimes literally if I was with a group that was late, or lost) outdoor team building events in the countryside. Not only is there something inherently ‘natural’ about using all the many levels of metaphor to be found in our surroundings in personal and organisational development, it was a great way to make the connection between mind and body.
Because often the work at Henley is quite desk-bound – more than is good for the body (or the mind!), I have started to change my habits. Last Monday I went along for my first pilates class in Oxford, which is a series of carefully arranged floor movements, stretches and exercises designed to increase flexibility and build up your ‘core’ muscles (the ones middle-aged men like me often ignore in favour of hunched shoulders).
No doubt there is a world of pilates-geeks, in-jokes and folk-lore now to discover. Thankfully, I am now old enough not to really care that I am the least flexible person in the room (for now…!).
Chris Dalton's Personal Development Blog 