One of my great loves in coaching is incorporating movement and activating the intelligence centers in the body. While I have found it easier to do this with the guidance of a coach or a colleague, I have also been successful in doing this on my own. Perhaps you’ll try this exercise on your own and have some incredible insights about a current opportunity or challenge! If you do, let me know what you experience and what comes from it. Would love to hear what you learn!

INGREDIENTS:

• A patch of open space
• A way to record notes
• A single opportunity or problem you wish to explore
• An open-mind

Before you begin, assess your physical space. Is there a (roughly) 4’ x 4’ area in which you can move around? Having even more space is better, but a nice four-foot square patch of rug or floor or grass or concrete will do. After that, simply have your smart phone handy (I like to use my Notes app and dictate to Siri, or sometimes I record the whole exploration using my Voice Recorder app) or use a journal or notebook with pen to write down your discoveries, and follow these steps…’

DIRECTIONS:

1. Define your focus/topic: Which current opportunity or challenge do you want to know more about?
2. Stand in the middle of your square and state out loud: “I am open to learning more about…”
   • Option: Write the name of your focus/topic on a piece of paper and place it in the middle of the square.
3. Then, step to the South side of your square and turn inward to face the center of the square. If you don’t know which direction is South, just pick one side of your square and think of this as the bottom or South side.
   • From the South side, ask yourself one or more of the following questions:
     • “What do I know to be true about this opportunity/challenge?”“
     • What conditions are supporting it?”
     • “What conditions are constraining/limiting it?”
     • “What else would be helpful for me to know about the conditions or circumstances surrounding this?”
4. When you feel complete with this side, step to the West side of your square and again turn inward to face the center of your square.
   • “How am I feeling about this opportunity/challenge?” For each emotion/feeling, explore further:
     • “What would be helpful for me to know about the … (you fill in the emotion here) I am experiencing? “
     • “What is contributing to it?”
     • “What is its source?”
   • Once you feel complete with the first emotion/feeling, move on to the second, and so on until you’ve explored all the feelings you have about this opportunity/challenge.
   • If you find you start to plan or strategize or get into action mode, simply take a breath and tell yourself “not yet, but soon…”
   • Final question from the West: “What else would be helpful for me to know about the emotions related to this opportunity/challenge?”
5. Once you feel complete, step to the North side and then face in toward the center of your square.
   • “In what way is this opportunity/challenge important for me on my life path?”
   • “What lessons might this experience have to offer me?”
   • “How might I grow by living through this opportunity/challenge?”
   • “What allies or supporters are available for me as I move forward?” [For each one that comes to mind, explore further:
     • “How can I best make use of what … has to offer?”
     • Once you feel complete with the first ally/supporter, move on to the second, and so on until you’ve explored all the support you have available to you for this opportunity/challenge.
   • “What else would be helpful for me to know about what this opportunity/challenge has to offer me on my path?”
6. Once you feel complete, step to the East side and turn to face in toward the center of your square.
   • “What is clear to me now?”
   • “Who will I work with as I move forward?”
   • “What additional resources would I like to invite in as I move forward?”
   • “What next steps are ahead of me?”
   • “What am I most looking forward to?”
   • “Who can support me with the more challenging aspects?”
   • “What do I want to remind myself of as I move forward?”
   • “What else would be helpful for me to take the next step?”
7. Once you feel complete with this side, then step back into the middle of your square.
8. Take a moment to center within yourself and express gratitude to all the intelligence and creativity that showed up to support your exploration.
9. For any allies or supporters that came to mind, take a moment to thank each one, one by one.
10. Say any final words to yourself to close the exploration.

Once complete, step out of the center of the square. Take a deep breath and move on with your day.

Documenting Breakthroughs and Insights: What do you prefer?

You may now see why I prefer to record my voice as I go. But if you’re taking notes on paper, you choose if you want to do so throughout or wait until the end to jot down the key notes you want to remember.

Self-Guided or With Another: Some Tips

When you move through the Four Direction Exploration on your own, this is considered a self-coaching exercise. You can also do this with the guidance of a coach or a colleague. When working with someone else who is not a professionally trained and credentialed coach, be sure to have them prompt you with open questions only and to say “Anything else before moving to the next side?” to close each step. And kindly remind them that you do not need any opinions, suggestions, or advice. You only need a guide and a witness.

Enjoy!