Australian Hiker

160-Perfect Motion; how walking makes you wiser

Show notes

Australian Hiker is all about walking and when Jono Lineen, author of the book Perfect Motion, contacted me a few months ago to talk to talk about doing a review for his book ‘Perfect Motion’ it not only made sense to review thebook but also to interview him for the podcast as well. As a keen long distance hiker this book resonated with me in so many ways, particularly in the way that I feel when doing my big hikes. Perfect Motion was the culmination of his journey that was set in motion with the death of his younger brother, Gareth, eventually resulted in a 2700-kilometre solo trek across the Himalayas.

In this episode we talk to Jono about the impacts of walking and find out more about his amazing background, his trip though the Himalayas, as well as discussing his book Perfect Motion.

Podcast overview

This episode is all about the impact that walking has on us, our emotional and mental well-being, as well as our creativity:

Introduction
Part 1 – Interview with Jono Lineen (time index 00:01:22)
- Jono’s background.
- A world citizen
- Initially an accomplished ski racer
- Finding a job to fund a lifestyle
- Varied career, forestry, project managemnt
- Hiking background
  - Driven by a love of books
  - Provides a sense of happiness provided by a sense of control
- A long walk in the Himalayas (2,700km)
  - Driven in part by the death of his younger brother
  - A cool thing to do
  - A 5 month trip
  - Planning
    - Pre GPS
    - No decent data available
    - Through areas in dispute, army presence from a number of countries
    - Passing though a village about every three days
    - Rice, dhal, rice, dhal, and for something different rice!
      - Kerosine cookers, kerosine is available anywhere
    - Accomodation 40% compassion from the locals, the rest in tent
  - Treat the water
    - Highlights
      - The people
- The Book ‘Perfect Motion’
  - Always a big reader
  - A writer, this is Jono’s 3rd book
  - Stories are a part of his life
  - Written because an understanding that walking is more than just exercise
    - Relationship between walking and thinking
  - What is it about walking that makes us wiser
    - Predictive thinking, creating your own future
    - Generated though walking
  - Solo or in a group
    - Walking is an aid in problems solving (Humans are bipedal problem solvers)
    - Physiology, neurology, and physiology
      - Impact on our thought processes, our thinking loosens up and we now have space.
        
        Under stress our thinking becomes stresses/focused. to break out of that walking becomes the catalyst
      - After a short period (about 15 minutes) we develop a senses of space. After about 40 minutes our though processes really start to open up.
      - ‘Losing yourself’ is a mechanism to be creative. Walking helps its with this
    - The ‘best hunters’ are the most creative ones, an evolutionary process
  - Walking is good for the big picture and being alone is the best option
  - Convergent thinking- walking alone is not necessarily the best for that, great for walking meeting
  - Getting out there is the start
  - Walking solo doesn’t mean walking alone, it may be that you just take some space for a period of time and come together later on
  - Take notes if you want to remember as these thoughts are often your purest thoughts
  - 90% of Jono’s ideas on his book came when he was walking or running
- Long distance trails what happens when you stop?
  - Post trail blues
    - On long distance hikes you generate a purity of thought, of control. you are in one of the most controlled situations in your life.
    - When you stop the expansive thinking, you compress your life back into ‘normal life’, you loose that sense of freedom.
  - Is it the journey or the destination? Inward focused rather than outwards
  - Walking is addictive, provides a sense of space

Part 2 – Tim and Gill’s final thoughts (time index 00:46:21)

Close (time index 00:58:39)

Bloopers

Perfect Motion Book. Read our review of this book here

Jono's Website

Jono’s Website

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Zanskar Range – Himalayas (photo by Jono Lineen)