How can movement practices and interactions with nature inspire personal growth and improve physical and mental well-being?

Going to a gym doesn’t cut it for Kyle Koch; His movement is guided by being in nature and responding to his environment. He recounts his movement journey from beginnings to rediscovery, and explains his current training. Kyle shares his insights on learning to interact with the environment, and seeing others begin to train outside. He discusses the nervous system, the importance of training in nature, and his inspirations.

“So I think that the sit spot is exactly that. It’s just going outside and being curious and seeing what draws your attention, and then asking more questions, ‘Oh, that tree is interesting.’ Question I might ask is, could I climb it? And if I can climb it, will I climb it? Or I see all these trees that I can’t yet climb, but that’s the motivation.” ~ Kyle Koch (16:15)

Kyle Koch is a former IT software technician turned nature nerd. He has been facilitating transformative experiences in nature for almost a decade: inspiring youth and adults to connect to their gifts through exploration, play, and curiosity. Kyle is always expanding his practice through the study and application of: functional neurology concepts, traditional strength training, martial arts (Systema), and meditation and breathing (Wim Hof Method). When not teaching or facilitating, you can find Kyle exploring ways to deepen his connection with himself, others, and the Earth.

The conversation highlights the importance of movement practices rooted in nature and personal curiosity. Kyle recounts his journey from childhood activities to rediscovering movement through a blend of survival training, parkour, and gym-based conditioning. The discussion includes the benefits of integrating natural and gym environments, emphasizing how training tailored to real-world applications enhances overall performance.

A significant theme is the role of observation and mindfulness in nature, exemplified by practices like sit spots, which encourage curiosity and engagement with the environment. The conversation also examines how vision, both literal and figurative, plays a role in physical training and mental relaxation, alongside the value of fostering connections with mentors to guide personal and physical growth.

Takeaways

Step one, go outside — The act of being in nature is fundamental to rediscovering movement and mindfulness.

Sit spots — A simple practice of observing and asking questions in nature reveals opportunities for exploration.

Importance of mentorship — Mentors help guide personal growth by drawing out insights rather than dictating actions.

Strength training and movement — Gym training, when tailored to real-world skills, can amplify natural movement abilities.

The role of vision — Vision exercises enhance spatial awareness and help regulate the nervous system.

Creating positive stories — Using movement skills to clean up parks or inspire others showcases how skills can contribute positively to society.

Connection with nature — Learning to observe subtle signs in nature, like animal trails, fosters deeper awareness.

The balance of skill and strength — Focused training that targets foundational abilities leads to broader improvement across activities.

Resources

Kyle Koch @trottingsparrow

Katy Bowman — A biomechanist known for her work on natural movement and vision.

Ryan Ford — Works on parkour-specific strength and conditioning techniques.

Rafe Kelly and Evolve Move Play — Focuses on natural movement and dynamic environments for training.

Art of Retreat podcast — Another platform discussing themes related to movement and mentorship.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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— Hello👋 I’m Craig Constantine.

In the Movers Mindset podcast, I talk with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. I’m interested in the nature and philosophy of movement and in exploring themes like independence, self-direction, and human excellence. My interests color each conversation and provide some structure to Movers Mindset. But since I like to take the scenic route, every conversation ends up going somewhere unique.

The purpose of Movers Mindset is to create and share great conversations with movement enthusiasts. Each conversation feeds my insatiable curiosity, but I share them to turn on a light for someone else, to inspire them, or to give them their next question.

I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted.

— Thank you!

My personal mission is creating better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. And Movers Mindset is one of the things I do in service of my mission. Drop by https://craigconstantine.com/ for my weekly email, my other podcasts, writing and more.

The Movers Mindset project grew from conversations I started having as part of my personal journey rediscovering movement. The project started late in 2015, and it was initially simply a web site that shared others’ writing. The project grew, and in 2017 I started the podcast. I’ve worked extremely hard, but none of this would have been possible without so much help from so many people.

Thanks for listening!

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