A few months ago, my partner and I were moving across town from one apartment to another. A gaggle of wonderful friends had volunteered to help us on moving day. As we carried box after cardboard box down several flights of stairs, I found myself feeling more lighthearted than I had in weeks. The inner static of worrying, planning, and overthinking the move had faded as I shifted my attention toward lifting properly, ascending and descending the steps with care, and physically coordinating with others as we packed up the van. Later I realized that the day’s rather unusual physical activities had reminded me how to tune in to movement in a way I hadn’t done in a long time. My mind and body were finally in harmony, in motion together.
Fortunately, this kind of mind-body awareness is available to us every day, not only “moving day.” As biomechanist Katy Bowman puts it, “Movement is the axis and spine of all human behavior.” It’s part of who we are, and part of how we express who we are. Moving with awareness is a way to embody our intentions, our sense of purpose, and our relationship to those we love and…
