Lesson 2 | How are movement, self-image, and beliefs related?

Did you know that movement is directly connected to how you feel and vice versa that our feelings are closely linked to our patterns of movement?

You could see movement as a mirror for what is going on in our inner world, how we process our experiences, and create an image of ourselves.

Do you move lightly and freely or do you experience tension in your walking, sitting, and standing? Is your posture open or closed? Do you make yourself big or small?

Many people allow their beliefs about themselves and their habits to control their bodies. They may have always been taught that they should tighten their stomach muscles to stand up straight, or they may have been told that they cannot dance or that they are clumsy or too frail or should not make mistakes. Or that they need force in everything they do, or that moving without muscle pain is not moving. Or that they are too much in their expressiveness. Our beliefs, judgments, and ideas about ourselves, our image of ourselves, determine how we move through life physically and emotionally.

What moves you?

Often chronic habits arise where the muscles of, for example, the jaw, abdomen, back, pelvic floor, shoulders, hands, and throat tighten too much or for too long or cannot release. And I don’t just mean movement habits, but also thinking, feeling, and perceptual habits. Perhaps they once arose as a successful response to a specific situation and environment. Because of frequent repetition, it is now as if all situations are the same and require the same approach. But is that really the case?

Awareness helps us to break habits by choosing another option at the right moment. More about this in the next lesson. In this lesson, you’ll explore your unconscious image of yourself by becoming aware of how you stand and sit.

What beliefs and feelings are shaping your attitude, perception, and stance in life?