I am in a live online class. The teacher is speaking. I am listening.
But I can't stop moving.
I move in my chair like a monkey. I get up. I walk around my table. I sit back down. I change my position. I cross my legs. I uncross them. I lean forward. Lean back.
And I keep listening. Processing. Learning.
When I need to retain something complex, I find myself stimming. Moving my hands. Repeating words softly. Echolalias.
And when I really need to integrate information, I record notes and play them back as audio while I walk. Or while I exercise.
For years I thought it was a lack of discipline. That I didn't know how to sit still. That I should be able to study sitting down, like everyone else.
Until I understood one thing: my body needs to move for my brain to learn.
It's not distraction. It's not a lack of concentration.
It is embodied cognition. It's learning that happens through the body, not just the mind.
And when I stopped fighting against it and started to embrace it, everything changed.
Does something similar happen to you?
Do you learn better while walking?
Do you need to move to think?
WHAT IS EMBODIED COGNITION (AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT)
Embodied cognition is an idea that is revolutionizing the neuroscience of learning: the body is not just the container of the brain. It is part of the thinking process..
Traditionally, the brain was thought to be like a computer: it received information, processed it, and produced responses. And the body was just the peripheral that executed commands.
But research in cognitive neuroscience over the last few decades shows something radically different: thinking is deeply intertwined with bodily movement, sensory experience, and physical action..
When we learn a new concept, we do not just process it abstractly. We anchor it in bodily experiences. When we think of "going up," our brain activates motor areas associated with upward movement. When we understand "grabbing," brain regions linked to the action of the hands are activated.
Movement is not just a consequence of thought. It is part of the very process of thinking and learning..
And this has enormous implications for how we learn, especially when we are neurodivergent adults who choose how to learn.
"Cognitive processing is closely coupled with bodily activities and the environment. Learning is enhanced when brain, body, and environment mutually influence each other."
— Research on embodied cognition and education, Macrine & Fugate
WHY NEURODIVERGENT BRAINS LEARN BETTER IN MOVEMENT
Here’s what the research shows: movement not only aids learning. For many neurodivergent individuals, it is necessary..
For brains with ADHD, movement provides the sensory stimulation that the nervous system needs to maintain attention. Studies show that children and adults with ADHD significantly improve their cognitive performance, working memory, and concentration when they can move while learning.
A 2024 study found that children with ADHD who participated in "active breaks" of just 4 minutes during learning showed remarkable improvements in attention, classroom behavior, and ability to stay on task. It's not that movement distracts them. It's that movement allows them to focus.
For autistic brains, movement can serve as sensory regulation. Stimming (self-stimulatory repetitive movements) is not nervousness. It is the nervous system seeking the optimal level of sensory stimulation to process complex information.
For brains with dyslexia or dyspraxia, learning with the body (writing in the air, using gestures, manipulating objects, drawing) can create stronger memory pathways than purely visual or auditory learning.
It's not a coincidence. It's neurobiology.
"For students with ADHD, movement is essential. It provides the perfect amount of stimulation to naturally increase attention."
— Studies on ADHD and physical activity in learning, University of North Carolina
WHAT SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT LEARNING WHILE WALKING
Let's talk specifically about learning while walking, because this has solid scientific support.
Research in neuroplasticity shows that even brief sessions of moderate exercise (like walking) significantly improve memory, information retention, and concentration. This happens because exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates the production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a crucial protein for forming new neural connections.
Translation: when you walk while studying, your brain is literally more prepared to learn and retain information.
Moreover, studies on "active learning" show that students who can move freely while learning (standing, walking, using adjustable desks) retain information better in the long term than those forced to remain seated.
This is especially relevant for neurodivergent brains. A specific study on ADHD and movement found that children with ADHD who could use desk bikes (gently pedaling while working) showed significant improvements in attention and academic performance.
And not just children. Adults with ADHD consistently report that they learn better when they can walk, do light exercise, or move around while studying.
I verified this with my own notes: I record them in audio and listen while walking. And retention is infinitely better than when I try to study seated.
"Movement during learning is not a concession for those who cannot stay still; it is a pedagogical strategy supported by evidence that improves outcomes for all students."
— Research on embodied cognition, Castro-Alonso & colleagues.
STIMMING AND ECHOLALIA: THE BODY PROCESSING INFORMATION
Now let's talk about something many neurodivergent individuals do: stimming and echolalia.
Stimming (self-stimulatory repetitive movements) can include: moving hands, rocking, making repetitive sounds, manipulating objects, walking in circles.
Echolalia is the repetition of words or phrases, either one's own or others'.
For a long time, they were seen as "problematic behaviors" that needed to be eliminated. But current research shows something very different: they are strategies for sensory regulation and cognitive processing.
When I stim while listening to something complex, my body is creating an optimal level of sensory stimulation that allows my brain to process information better. It is not distraction. It is regulation.
When I repeat words softly (echolalia), I am processing language in an embodied way. I am anchoring the concept in my voice, in my hearing, in my body.
And it works.
Studies on embodied cognition show that simple physical actions (like hand gestures) significantly improve understanding and retention of abstract concepts. The body is not distracting the brain.The body is helping the brain to understand.
"Self-stimulatory behavior (stimming) is not a dysfunctional behavior; it is an adaptive sensory regulation strategy that facilitates cognitive processing."
— Verònica Martín
PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR TRAINING IN MOVEMENT
If you are an adult neurodivergent in training, here are evidence-based strategies you can use:
Record and walk. Record your notes, summaries, or classes and listen to them while walking. Walking activates the hippocampus (a crucial brain area for memory) and improves retention.
Standing or adjustable desk. If you can, study standing up. Or alternate between sitting and standing. Changing posture keeps the brain more alert.
Active breaks every 25-30 minutes. These are not passive breaks. They are movement: stretching, walking, doing some light exercises. This resets attention.
Use your hands while thinking. Make gestures. Draw in the air. Manipulate objects. Research shows that hand gestures significantly improve understanding of mathematical, scientific, and abstract concepts.
Allow stimming without guilt. If you need to move, rock, or manipulate something, do it. It is not a lack of concentration. It is your body helping you to focus.
Study in motion when the content is complex. Paradoxically, when something is very difficult, studying while walking can help. Rhythmic movement frees cognitive resources.
If it is live online, move. You do not have to stay still in your chair. Get up. Walk around the room while listening. Your learning does not depend on your immobility.
"Adapting learning to the neurodivergent body is not about making concessions; it is about designing evidence-based pedagogical strategies on how this specific brain learns best."
— Verònica Martín
WHEN TRAINING IS ONLINE: ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES
Online training has a huge advantage for brains that learn in motion: no one sees you.
You can stand. You can walk. You can stim. You can move freely without anyone judging you.
But it also has a challenge: without the external structure of a physical classroom, you need to create your own embodied structure.
In my case, I need live classes because the external temporal structure helps me. But within that structure, I move freely.
I get up.
I pace.
I return.
And I learn.
If the training is recorded, the challenge is greater. Without a fixed schedule, without external pressure, the ADHD brain may never find the "perfect" moment to study.
That’s where creating bodily rituals helps: "when I sit in this specific place, I study." "When I walk this circuit, I listen to notes." The body creates the structure that the mind needs.
"Online training allows for customization of the learning environment. For neurodivergent brains, this can be the difference between learning with extreme effort or learning with fluency."
— Verònica Martín
THE BODY DOES NOT DISTRACT: THE BODY TEACHES US
For years they told us: "stay still to learn."
But science shows the opposite: movement is not the enemy of learning. It is an ally..
Especially for neurodivergent brains that process information differently.
Your need to move is not a lack of discipline. It is your nervous system seeking the optimal conditions for learning.
And when you stop fighting against it and start leveraging it, learning changes.
It stops being torture. And becomes flow.
"The body is not an obstacle to learning. It is the vehicle through which learning is embodied, lived, and retained."
— Research in embodied cognition, Macrine & Fugate
To wrap up...
If you need to move to learn, move.
If your best ideas come while walking, walk.
If you stim while processing complex information, do it without guilt.
Your body knows how your brain learns.
And when you finally stop fighting against it and start listening to it, learning becomes easier. More natural. More yours.
How do you learn best?
In movement?
Standing?
Walking?
And I read you. And if someone told you that you should be able to study quietly, ignore it. Your body also learns.
Verònica Martín
Director of ATIPICOS.org and A-Tipìc Biointeriors