Blue Mind Science and Philosophy

Blue Health and Blue Mind

What is Blue Mind?  This site is filled with references to environmental psychology relating to the health benefits of Blue Space, however – it is probably easiest to hear it from the horse’s mouth first…

There has been a lot of academic research over the past few years into the impact of the outdoors on our health and well-being.  The conversations relating to the findings are now hitting the mainstream media.  We particularly have an affinity to the work of Wallace J Nichols relating to water and blue space, research which is truly diverse and multi-disciplinary in its enviro-psychological scope.

The impact of wave watching creates a light meditative state enabling you to tap into a deeper level of consciousness that is less accessible with the distractions of our technology-centric workstyles / lifestyles

“Blue space” has been found to positively impact health and well being – not only is this an intuitive claim, bio-feedback proves it!  In water-centric locations, neuro-chemical responses in our bodies impact upon our emotional and physical energy, motivation, attentiveness and more.

The coast is a valuable location since the the vastness of a horizon as a potential “awe facilitator”, creates space to explore freely, thus enhancing flexibility and creativity. The natural landscapes are less complex than man made ones.  When faced with a simpler backdrop such as the coast which provides regularity (in that there are patterns within any swell) together with a movement that lacks monotony there is less background noise to distract and compete for attention.

By slowing down and relaxing we can focus!

Have you ever noticed that you might have your most creative thoughts when daydreaming?  Or perhaps in the early hours of the morning when half waking or before slumber when drifting off to sleep? When we have a less focused attention our thoughts move more freely than when we apply forced attentiveness.  Natural coastal environments move towards this wakeful state of relaxation (theta) where the brain is free to attend to the question or insight that is most relevant to you.

Apart from being physically good for you, walking enables changing scenery which allows for a non directive attention, it also provides useful and less obvious non-verbal indicators that a skilled coach will identify and respond to. The outdoors a whole and particularly the coast and ocean are awash with metaphor and this lends itself to working with NLP and APP.  Experienced coastal coaches will be able to utilise the landscape for the benefit of the client in a targeted yet informal approach which at its most elegant appears effortless.

Thought is great… action delivers change.

Since our memories are state dependent the experience of being coached at the beach in itself creates a powerful anchor for future actions. Motivation is a state of body and mind, energy facilitates energy where-as lethargy of body and mind create stagnation.  When coastal coaching we engage our full body in solution finding, since it is our full body and mind we will require in the taking of action.

Our Blue Health Coaching Approach

“Modern-day humans are drowning in a sea of over-stimulation that exhausts us physically, mentally and emotionally” Wallace J Nichols.

As a Blue Health Coach™ I integrate a range of modalities including applied environmental psychology, neuro-conservation (Blue Mind Science + Philosophy) and landscape metaphor  using the outdoor environment and explore how you can more easily and more often access Blue Mind for the benefit of your health and well-being and also for your performance.

Amongst other approaches, out on the coast, we explore triggers for you relating to three states of energy and attention using terms coined by WJN:

  • Red Mind  – edgy highs at best alert, aware and responsive at worst stressed anxious and fearful
  • Grey Mind – numbed out, overly dissociated, overwhelm and lethargy
  • Blue Mind – calm, centred, wisdom with a sense of wider connection as part of a greater whole

Did you know – the brain processes serially, it is impossible to multi-task.  Excess background “noise” creates continual partial attention.

Working with me at the coast we also reconnect with simple qualities such as awe and gratitude. Emotions that can become lost within fast paced environments where raised benchmarks create a perception that cynicism holds status.

We work with your sensory awareness using techniques to develop your attention skills… to pay attention, not force attention.

Blue Mind “Collective / Tribe / Movement”

The latest research we are now carrying out relates to awe and gratitude within blue space environments and how these impact upon motivation inspired by the work of Paul Piff a fellow Blue Mind Summit Alumni and Ambassador, so Blue Mind is very much here to stay.

For me, the most relevant aspects of Blue Mind relate to how water influences our health, wellbeing and wisdom (and therefore the coaching and consultancy approaches I use).

The over-arching social and environmental aims of the Blue Mind Collective is also close to my heart as a Blue Health Coach™. These align to our core ethos of “taking responsibility to tread more lightly”.  If you are interested in reading further or getting involved in the work I have included a link below to Dr Wallace J Nichols website.  Whether your interest is in Blue Mind itself or his unique approach to collaborative leadership it is well worth a look.

Js BlueMind Pic