“Don’t let your arms cross your body.” – Marcus Bridges

As stated in a previous post, I have gone through periods in my life where I dedicated my energy to running. I like running. I am ok at it. I would like to be good at it.

It is common in the winter months to see people running through the hallways of our school. I was one of those people running in the halls because it was too darn cold to run outside. My school has an amazing cross country and track coach by the name of Marcus Bridges. He coaches even when it’s too darn cold outside.

As Coach Bridges was shouting out encouragement and advice to his runners, he shouted out to me one day, “Don’t let your arms cross your body.”

Apparently running with arms that swing in front of your body disrupts your running stance and actually slows you down. I have since intentionally run with my arms pumping only at my sides to improve my running stance. It works!

“Don’t let your arms cross your body.”

I think this lesson from the running world is an important part of our communication world too. Consider your posture and stance when you are eager to speak to someone. Your arms are at your sides or lose or open for an embrace. When we are not open to communicating, we close ourselves off and often cross our arms across our body. This closes off our willingness to compromise or be a part of the moment.

“Don’t let your arms cross your body.”

Open your stance to speaking and listening willingly and you will glean terrific benefits from your interactions. Take on situations that you are not sure of with arms ready to work for better movement and potential gain.

Put your energy into the most beneficial stance and you will find that your intents and energy are rewarded with greater results.

By: Melanie A. Peters