Get Your Body Moving to Increase Your Creativity
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The mind and the body are connected. Not just physically in the body, but in performance as well. A super key to increasing creativity is to get the body moving.
Before every improv comedy performance, my group would warm up. We would warm up our minds by doing some quick thinking games, warm up our tongues by doing tongue twisters, and warm up our bodies by stretching and playing games that required lots of movement. To me, the physical warm ups were the most vital because I found that once the body was energized and ready the mind quickly followed.
Interestingly, I could tell how a performance was going to go in advance based on the body language of the performers as they arrived to the theater. If people were down, quiet, and low energy, I knew the show could be trouble and I would do what I could to get the energy up. If people were lively, I knew we would be just fine.
Be it by increasing blood flow, distracting the mind, or releasing endorphins, movement definitely stimulates the mind. The trick is finding a way to get the body moving in a work environment.
The corporate world is not designed to support the mind body connection. Most work days involve sitting down and working on a computer, talking on the phone, or having a meeting. The best exercise you can get is stretching in your seat and going for a walk (which if you are not doing now, you should start). How many meetings are held everyday to address problems and come up with solutions , and how many of these meetings involve a group of people sitting around a large table? And how many of these meetings go on for an hour or more without breaking to get people's energy back up?
I guarantee that, odd as it sounds, much more could be accomplished in less time if just five minutes were spent energizing the group. There are exercises, improv and otherwise, that can accomplish this. They will seem odd in a corporate work place, but they will work.
Personally, I do some of my best thinking while shooting baskets. My body is moving, my mind is free flowing, and ideas just come out. Find what works for you, then find a way to incorporate it into you work.
Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated! Avish is most commonly called upon to deliver programs on Motivation, Sales, and Communication
For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit http://www.AvishParashar.com
To learn how to apply the powerful principles of improv comedy to your own business or life visit http://www.ImprovforEveryone.com
