Coaching outdoors opens up powerful new ways of connecting with the self, fostering creativity, expansive thinking, and self-awareness more than the typical office or online setting. Metaphor, sensory awareness, and the rhythm of movement all come into their own when coaching outdoors. 

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From watching changes to a river or surrounding landscapes, letting the path lead a meandering journey, to being immersed in the seasons as they unfold, the changes in the landscape offer rich stimulus for coaching, offering new perspectives, whether on current challenges or reflections on new transitions.​There are so many benefits of getting out in the fresh air and nature; it releases endorphins and improves your well-being, cognitive functioning, boosts creativity and enhances vitality. ​

 

Walking side-by-side also enables people to open up and be more honest.​ I’ve noticed there can be a gentle but powerful shift when coaching, the sky above us, the ground beneath us, and the river to our side. How, even in unclear times, the path ahead continues.

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When we walk in the blue and the green (the water and the land) for up to 60 minutes, the amygdala (the part of the brain that senses danger and stress) actually shrinks and the hippocampus (the part of the brain vital for learning and emotional regulation) actually grows, helping us manage emotions better and ease out stresses. Take a walk in the green and blue.

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On a more practical note: I always make sure we're prepared for a downpour by taking extra waterproofs and a flask of tea (and maybe even a slice of cake too).