Breaking Free From Human Captivity: The Foundations of Purposeful Movement

Humans are not meant to live in cages.While we can move relatively freely if we choose, life has built boxes around our movement.Consider the range of motion of your shoulder for a moment. You have the ability to reach all the way overhead and behind you, but modern life puts everything in a small box of the total range your shoulder can move.Typing at a computer, cutting vegetables on a counter, washing dishes -- generally all of these movements are in a vary narrow box.Because our shoulders are meant to be more mobile and we don't use them fully, immobility and pain sets in.The shoulder is just one example, the same applies to our hips with the amount most of us sit (10+ hours of sitting a day is not natural!).We're not just confined in the way we move our bodies though. We are confined in the way we move through the world.We're told to play it safe, follow a template to predictable success. The corporate ladder and the American Dream restrict our movement into very narrow expressions of ourselves.The only way we can break free is by exploring our true movement capability, in body, mind and spirit.How would you move your body if not confined to human domestication?You'd do a lot more squatting, hanging, sprinting, and playing. You would not be just exposed to lots of ranges of motion, but also to many textures and shapes. Each rock you step on with you bare foot creates a new challenge and shape for your foot. Every branch is at a slightly different angle than the last.How would you move with purpose if not confined to a societal template of success?You'd probably be more connected with your deep heart, and your service to people you care about. You might find your own unique tribe that fuels and supports your great work. You would create a livelihood around your calling, not simply chasing success that never seems to arrive.The reality is that confinement is all around you and not all of it is necessarily bad. It's good to have structure and security. We need some amount of confinement to thrive.Your influences shape your limits. The right amount of structure creates freedom. Too little is pure chaos. Too much is crippling.Life is limitation. To be embodied is to live with limits.Are you consciously choosing and creating yours?