Do you see thinking as a purely mental activity?
Sit down.
Listen.
Analyze.
That’s often how thinking is framed.
But thinking is not only happening in the head.
The body is involved.
And movement changes how we think.
Many workshops take place around a table.
Participants sit for hours.
They turn slightly to see the screen.
They lean forward to take notes.
But the body barely moves.
And when the body stays still, thinking often becomes rigid.
Research in cognitive science suggests something different.
Movement activates different cognitive processes.
Walking can stimulate idea generation.
Changing physical position can shift perspective.
Even standing instead of sitting can increase engagement.
The body is not separate from thinking.
It participates in it.
This is why many creative processes involve movement.
Design teams move between walls.
Ideas are written, moved, regrouped.
People stand, walk, discuss.
The room becomes part of the thinking process.
Movement also changes energy.
When participants stay seated for long periods, attention fades.
When people stand, gather around a wall, or move between spaces, something shifts.
The conversation becomes more active.
Ideas circulate more freely.
None of this guarantees creativity.
But it changes the conditions under which thinking happens.
A room that allows movement invites exploration.
A room that locks everyone in place invites caution.
Workshops are not lectures.
They are environments where people think together.
And thinking together often requires more than chairs and a table.
It requires space to move.
Thinking is not only cognitive.
It is physical.
And sometimes, the simplest way to change thinking
is to change how people move.
Thank you.
And Free Palestine.