Chapter 3: Universal - The Practice of Natural Movement

“There is something in every creature born that transcends its time and place of birth.”

 

—Marty Rubin

 

We all look different, yet we also all look the same, right? Our phenotype, or the observable characteristics that are physically expressed in an individual (such as stature and eye color) and that are the outcome of both genetic makeup and environmental influences, differs with every person, but we all share a set of similar anatomical and physiognomic characteristics that make us look like a human being. We also all move differently, yet we also all move the same.

Human phylogenetic motor skills—meaning those skills related to evolutionary development and diversification—are common among all cultures. Since Natural Movement abilities are shaped by our common biology, which is shaped by our common evolution as a species, it is a biological heritage that all humans share in common regardless of gender, ethnicity, or cultural or religious background. Not everyone may be in great shape, naturally skilled, proficient, or even avid at performing those evolutionary, instinctual movement patterns—especially in modern, civilized populations—but at least no one really starts from scratch. Absolutely everyone possesses minimal Natural Movement abilities, as well as dormant potential for even greater levels of capability.

Moving naturally is not a matter of theory, style, traditions, conventions, invention, or creativity. The Natural Movement of the African or the European, of the Japanese or the American, of the Christian or the Buddhist, of the rich or the poor, of the man or the woman, of the young or the old is not determined by the superficial aspects that define their individual identities. If you are human, you fundamentally move like all other humans do, just like a tiger fundamentally moves like all other tigers.

So, if tigers should move like tigers, can we simply say that we should “move like humans”? That would work only if humans had not imagined close to limitless ways to move beyond Natural Movement that are not universally shared. People skateboarding, breakdancing, dancing the tango, or performing pantomime all move like humans, but those movements are significantly different from each other. All creative, folkloric, choreographic, traditional movement styles are human as well, but they’re not universal to all people.

People’s movement and physical habits and abilities are influenced by their culture, origin, religion, social status, gender, or age to some extent. For instance, in some countries people mostly kneel or sit on the floor rather than on seats. In some cultures, everyone dances spontaneously and freely, whereas in other cultures people tend to be shy and stiff, and dancing patterns can differ significantly depending on local folklore and customs. However, whenever people do move naturally, such as walking or jumping when navigating through a natural environment, the fundamental patterns they use are biomechanically similar regardless of identity. Moving naturally is truly universal. It is a birthright that belongs to all of us—whoever we are and wherever we come from.

Think about it. In every corner of the world, on every continent and in every country, when given the freedom to do so, children cycle through and master the same species-specific movement stages as they develop; they’re driven by nothing but instinctual curiosity and determination. Therefore, you would be hard-pressed to find a single human group that does not possess a potential for the full-range of the human Natural Movement skills. You could certainly find human groups where a particular Natural Movement skill—such as running, carrying, diving, or climbing—is a forte and other groups in which that same skill could be relatively underdeveloped because of the environment in which the people have lived and the survival strategies they’ve been relying on.

No human group on Earth needs to be taught Natural Movement as if it was something alien to their own culture. If you were to visit the most remote village of the world and ask the people living there if they know what running, crawling, balancing, jumping, and so on are, everyone would nod affirmatively while wondering how you could ask such a ridiculous question. Conversely, if you were to ask them about bodybuilding, tai chi, yoga, or even waltzing, it is likely that they would have no idea what you are talking about. This is not because you are using a different name than the one they’re familiar with; it’s because they would have literally no knowledge of what you are talking about. They could not join you in these activities without first seeing some demonstrations and having some lessons, because the movement would be something entirely new to them. Why is that? Because those disciplines, which are influenced by culture or individual creativity, are extremely recent with regard to evolution, they’re not instinctual to all humans; consequently, they aren’t universal. All humans could learn these forms of movement if they were taught, but that doesn’t make the movements automatically “universal.” Movement patterns or skills that are innate in all humans around the planet without instruction are what we consider universal.

But again, you can go anywhere in the world and see people move naturally, or ask them if they could jump, climb, carry, throw, or defend themselves, and they will know what to do immediately. They might be in poor physical shape, they might be clumsy or frail, and they might possess limited proficiency, but—barring any severe physical disability—they will still possess basic ability in all these movement aptitudes. No explanation, no initiation, no instruction is needed. Everyone knows and can perform these fundamental human movements. Our evolution didn’t reserve specific natural movements for elite athletes and some others for everyday people. All natural movements are for everyone regardless of individual level of performance.

We may have different eye and hair color, skin tones, voices, personalities, morphologies, past experiences, and views on life, but our human anatomy, its biomechanical function, and its physiological function are the same, and they respond to the same biological and natural laws. Our common ancestors were the same people, and our universal Natural Movement potential was forged in the same evolutionary cradle. We are the outcome of a long, long line of people, and so are our fundamental movements.

Cultural, social, religious, and traditional conventions can seem like boundaries that differentiate us, and we have to look past the many differences to finally be able to see what is universal to all. For instance, dance seems to be quite an evolutionary drive and behavior common to all cultures, but contrary to Natural Movement abilities, it is not universally expressed in the same way. Styles of dance vary enormously from one culture to another (or even from one individual to another). The same goes for body language and hand gestures, which are common to all humans but heavily influenced by cultural background.

Yet, if you were to visit playgrounds and villages around the world and observe children at play, you would see the same thing—children using Natural Movement. All children, given the freedom to do so, move, play, and laugh—these are universal languages. Our Natural Movement commonalities connect us and can bring us together. The universality of Natural Movement is responsible for a lot of its beauty. Natural Movement is the physical behavior all modern humans should culturally embrace, with “human” being the only “kind” and identity that matters.

In the meantime, we observe the emergence of a global culture of physical disempowerment. Our universal birthright of Natural Movement is becoming almost universally ignored, and therefore it’s becoming culturally endangered. It’s not the future of Natural Movement that is at stake but our future as humans. The philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti once wrote, “It is a not measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Culture should always be countered when it is dysfunctional and unhealthy. To rise above an unhealthy mainstream culture is not a new form of elitism; it’s plain common sense and biological wisdom. One should always counter unhealthy cultural patterns with healthy individual habits. Within a culture of unconscious physical disempowerment, you have to cultivate voluntary self-empowerment.

If you agree with the motto “think globally, act locally” and consider how it applies to your physical life, then the most evident way to act locally is to take good care of your own body—its biological needs and real-world capability—and to hope that the human community worldwide will do the same as a whole, before we end up in a WALL-E kind of world.

Instead of getting confused by the plethora of fitness programs available, open yourself to the “new” experience, which is our original, universal human movement mode. You are born to move naturally. A vast number of natural movements are available to us! How many do you know? How many do you practice and master? Make authentic, Natural Movement your primary feel-good reflex. Move because you want, move whenever you can, and move as long as you possibly can…before you can’t. Ancient moves never get old because they are timeless. The most ancient form of physical training becomes revolutionary. Your body is the technology you need to connect to, and Natural Movement is the universal workout the world has forgotten.