Intuitive Movement Hack or Whack?
What is Intuitive Movement?
I want to answer this question from a few perspectives.
In the professional dance world, intuitive movement is a powerful tool in a dancer's and choreographer's belt. Styles of movement have been born from some amazing dancer having a unique way of moving, and, POOF, a dance is born. So from a perspective of creating art through movement, intuitive movement is a cornerstone of dance aesthetic, choreography, style, and performing.
To non-dancers, the masses Intuitive Movement is a new term, adopted to solve a problem people knew they had but couldn't put into words.
The problem was hating exercise or hating the reasons why. All the reasons people attempt to get in shape and lose weight the way that all the J's taught us to over the years; the J's being, Body By Jake, Jack La Lanne, and Jane Fonda.
Intuitive movement for the masses is a way to break free from the have-to's and move according to the want-to's. Wanting to feel good after moving, feeling like running, the love of being outside, and walking to enjoy the day are all I.M.'s. Being present in the moment are all goals of Intuitive Moving.
As a Pilates, Gyrotonic, and yoga teacher, I use intuitive movement to help clients with muscle or joint imbalances and assess movement patterns. I also use it to discover movement, whether it is active or inactive areas. It's also an excellent tool for checking in on the nervous system, whether impaired or not.
I.M. as a practice
I.M. goals are internal ones such as feelings of joy, peace, or pleasure in moving instead of external ones such as times to beat, pounds to lose, or distance to cover. Letting go of external achievements and just focusing on the body as a moving, living, breathing organism instead of relying on an external source for the ATTAH BOY. External sources like a watch, a heart rate monitor, or a timer are not needed, instead opting for a self-pat on the own back. The goal is getting enjoyment out of life, and movement is a part of it.
Downsides to I.M.?
Most of them are emotion-based.
I.M.'s goal is to focus on being in the moment and more in tune with the body. This takes a level of self-awareness, especially if heavy emotions are processing.
I found over the years that many of my clients were addicted to exercise. They over Spun And Run to the point that they couldn't miss class for their mental workout even if they were injured.
They didn't even know they were over-exercising. I had to teach my clients that using exercise addictively to process emotions can cause severe injuries to the joints over time. Feelings will go away with heavy training but so will cartilage, so respect the body, or you will have issues with your tissues.
To avoid the pitfalls of I.M., self-awareness is critical. If you are angry and you feel compelled to hit a bag without instruction, make sure you don't take all your emotions out on your poor hand. If you had a bad day at work and want to run, keep it short and don't do a 10k in anger.
Listening to the body is vital in learning self-trust. Finding the inner voice just takes practice. Like any practice, there will be setbacks, but being fearful of the body and its sensations or fear of trying new things doesn't seem like a good road to go down. Instead, enjoying life and celebrating health through movement is the better way. The body will inevitably teach the being, even if pain is the ultimate teacher.