What is "Natural Movement" and How Does It Help with Issues Like Back Pain?

~ Photo by Kyle Mills on Unsplash

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We All Need to MOVE MORE

I remember in junior high biology class one of the indicators of life was MOVEMENT. Is it moving? Fair enough. Now with just that concept in mind, one might question are we fully alive if we sit for most of our waking hours? I would posit that possibly we are stunting our "aliveness" by moving very little over the decades.

As a yoga teacher for 20 years with more of a focus on "natural movement" the last 6 years, I would like to present a few questions the question: How many hours a day are you in a seated position?

• How many hours do you sit at work?
• How many hours are you seated in a car?
• How many hours do you sit on a couch and watch your favorite programs or play video games?
• How many hours are you sitting at your table to eat?

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Do you see where I am going with this?

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Exercise and Natural Movement are Not the Same

Now you might say, "Hey, I exercise...doesn't that count?" Yes and no. If you love to exercise (and I do) don't stop. Just understand that your body adapts to whatever you do the most. Running makes you better and stronger at....running. Whatever exercise activity you do makes you better at that exercise. That great and yet when you are moving a couch and you hurt your back you may wonder what went wrong?

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What is natural movement? All the movement humans used to do to get around, like life, etc. before there were any cars, any bikes, any clothes. Before there were any pilates classes, any yoga practice, any shoes. Any belly dancing, any kegels, any fitness. Any Monsanto, any Whole Foods, any farms. Any houses, countries, heating systems. Even before there were any blogs written about health. Way back.
~ Katy Bowman, "Alignment Matters"

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~ Photo by AndriyKo Podilnyk on Unsplash

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What I love about Katy Bowman's work is that she lays out the framework of what natural alignment looks like and how to then work with the body to incorporate more natural movements into our daily lives. She talks a lot about affluent ailments that seems to happen more frequently with those that sit in chairs for long stretches of time. When we don't move like our ancestors, those hunter and gatherer types, we lose muscle mass, mobility, and normal bodily functions faster due to our sedentary lifestyles.

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I propose that movement, like food, is not optional; that ailments you may be experiencing are simply (and complexly) symptoms of movement hunger in response to a movement diet that is dangerously low in terms of quantity and poor in terms of quality—meaning you aren’t getting the full spectrum of movement nutrition necessary for a baseline human function.
~ Katy Bowman, Move Your DNA

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Change Your Altitude

Hopefully you have a pretty good idea on how many hours a day you sit in a chair. (You may have surprised yourself with your final answer.) Now I don't want you to change your lifestyle overnight but see if you can add a little more standing and even possibly sitting on the floor into your waking hours. If you notice that you have been sitting for an hour, get up and walk around for a few minutes before sitting down again. Yep, it is that easy.

Of course, sitting on the floor may be an impossibility at work but you can integrate that challenge at home. You will probably have to take one or two of those cushions off the couch to sit on, but that is quite a healthy option for your back. For most, sitting directly on the floor can put too much stress on the lower back. By just elevating the hips several inches away from the floor on a cushion should help with most back issues.

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Remember: Your tissues (muscles, connective tissues, etc.) appreciate and recover faster if you incorporate small changes several times a day then extreme changes like going from seated for most of the day to standing for most of the day. To be successful slowly lengthen the changes over time so the tissues have time to adapt.

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~ Photo by AndriyKo Podilnyk on Unsplash

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Young Children Have Natural Movements

Before children are forced to sit for long stretches of time in schools, they move freely in their bodies. Although I have not studied the Feldenkrais Method for very long, the teachers I have encountered focus on movements that babies and young children make to integrate healthy movement patterns.

Due to the fact that we sit for long periods of time in unhealthy positions and have limited ranges-of-motion, going back to basics seems like a logical step in the right direction. Again, if you sit for long stretches of time, getting up more frequently throughout the day doesn't seem like much but over time will help you transition towards a more active lifestyle.

If you have young children or grandchildren then you have great examples of natural movement right in front of you!

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~ Photo by Simone Fischer on Unsplash

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I hope you enjoyed this essay. More to come!!

God bless and be well!

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