Hi Todd, a dimension of movement capacity I've been aware of lately relates to expression (gesturing, caressing, dancing). I'm curious where it fits into these worlds.
In my own shoulder rehab, I've been playing around with the idea that regaining a "normal" feeling limb isn't just about range of motion or strength to push/pull/grip. There's a sense that it's not at full capacity until I can use it to articulate feelings. I discovered this at a dance class where I was able to play with all kinds of strange angles and wild gestures, not for practical "tool" purposes, but for aimless expression. It was like the shoulder-map in my brain wasn't fully re-engaged till I added this to the movement diet.
Hi Elspeth, Thanks for the comment. I like the word dimension. If movement is expressive, maybe we could say it's about the social/emotional dimension of movement. Reminds me that I was considering including dance as one of the primal movements. It's found in all cultures as far as I know, and seems related to social/emotional/expressive functions. Humans are very social creatures and instinctively alter their body language to fit into social norms. This is good for social functioning but maybe a bit oppressive for the body. Maybe dance is a way to get social permission to let the body move as it wants to. At the same time, dance can be a way of showing off to others about how fit and functional your body is. Very interesting topic you have got me thinking!
Awesome, I was reading Barrett Dorko's on ideomotor movements years ago and was totally fascinated and then forgot to circle back. Thanks for pointing me towards your article.
I think facial expression is in this aspect too. Regarding fitting the body into social norms, it's especially limiting in our culture which doesn't make much space for myth and art and non-linearity. When I started dancing again after a few years, I realised how many movements I'd starved myself of in day to day life, even as a pretty physical person.
Facial expression for sure. Sometimes after a party my face might feel stiff! Another thing that made me stiff were ideas about the "right" way to move. I think one of the reason that dancers find improvisational expressive movement in dance freeing is that it helps to cure the stiffness that comes from dancing the "right" way.
That is an excellent question! There is no doubt that humans enjoy the water, can find a lot of valuable resources there, and seem to have some adaptations for the water as well. I considered writing about the "aquatic ape" hypothesis, which argues that human vertical posture is an adaptation to wading in water as a way to forage for food. It's an interesting idea, and it may be true, but it is definitely a minority opinion, and I don't think there is strong evidence that humans spent millions of years getting adapted in this environment. So I think swimming and moving through water is very healthy and a somewhat natural thing, but I'm not sure these movements should qualify as being primal or essential. Maybe they would make the cut if the book was longer!
The book “Body Has a Mind of its Own" by Sandra Blakeslee brings the primary theory iof Moshe Feldenkrais (We move in accordance with our self-image) into the world of current neuroscience research:
The book affords a look into the brain and its workings based on
current research in neuroscience. Our brains creates several maps, mostly in the parietal
lobes,mostly of the body but also of the space around the body - it will change the
maps to include any tool that is being used, for example, a cane used by a blind person
to navigate along a street ,a golf club used by a golfer, skis and ski poles, etc . The kinesthetic/motor map stretches out to include the cane of the blind person, spreads over the visual cortex, and enables the person to"see" the sidewalk through their body.
The brain turns on as soon as it forms embryologically, starts to function even
as it still grows, and does not ever turn off until the moment we die. Developmentally,
first there is movement, then through feedback from the movement and subsequent encounters with the environment, the brain refines its maps of space and how the body fits into
them.
I think this one of the primary processes that is inherent in the Feldenkrais Method of Neuromuscular Education -A continual refining of these maps (the self-image) through precise, directional touch and movement of the body through space that affect orientation abilities.
Here's an excerpt from the book:
"Stand up and reach out your arms, fingers extended. Wave them up, down, and
sideways. Make great big circles from over your head down past your thighs. Swing each leg
out as far as you can, and with the tips of your toes trace arcs on the ground around
you. Swivel and tilt your head as if you were craning out y our neck to butt something with
your forehead or touch it with your lips and tongue. This invisible volume of space
around your body out to arm's length—what neuroscientists call peripersonal space—is part of
you.
This is not a metaphor, but a recently discovered physiological fact. Through a
special mapping procedure, your brain annexes this space to your limbs and body,
clothing you in it like an extended, ghostly skin. The maps that encode your physical body are
connected directly, immediately, personally to a map of every point in that space and also
map out your potential to perform actions in that space. Your self does not end where
your flesh ends, but suffuses and blends with the world, including other beings. Thus when
you ride a horse with confidence and skill, your body maps and the horse's body maps are
blended in shared space. When you make love, your body maps and your lover's body maps
commingle in mutual passion.
Your brain also faithfully maps the space beyond your body when you enter it
using tools. Take hold of a long stick and tap it on the ground. As far as your brain is
concerned, your hand now extends to the tip of that stick. Its length has been annexed to your
personal space. If you were blind, you could feel your way down the street using that
stick.
The idea that your brain maps chart not only your body but the space around your
body, that these maps expand and contract to include every-day objects, and even that
these maps can be shaped by the culture you grow up in, is very new to science.
Research now shows that your brain is teeming with body maps—maps of your body's surface, its
musculature, its intentions, its potential for action, even a map that
automatically tracks and emulates the actions and intentions of other people around you.
These body-centered maps are profoundly plastic—capable of significant
reorganization in response to damage, experience, or practice. Formed early in life, they
mature with experience and then continue to change, albeit less rapidly, for the rest of
your life. Yet despite how central these body maps are to your being, you are only glancingly
aware of your own embodiment most of the time, let alone the fact that its parameters are
constantly changing and adapting, minute by minute and year after year. You may
not truly appreciate the immense amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of
your conscious mind that makes the experience of embodiment seem so natural. The
constant activity of your body maps is so seamless, so automatic, so fluid and ingrained,
that you don't even recognize it is happening, much less that it poses an absorbing
scientific puzzle that is spawning fascinating insights into human nature, health,
learning, our evolutionary past, and our cybernetically enhanced future."
"Tree World is not well-represented in modern gyms, but it was not always this way. Check out this pic of an old-timey gymnasium, which offers numerous affordances for climbing movements.”
Shout out to JJ Gibson and Edward Reed’s Resource Theory of Affordances and Action Systems:
"Resource Theory of Affordances
The resource theory, suggested by Edward Reed (1996), aligns with Gibson’s emphasis on affordances as objective environmental properties. It sees affordances as real, ob- jective “resources” in the environment that aid the goals of organisms, existing independently of any individual’s per- ception or action.
Reed further extends the independence of affordances from individual animals, arguing that they act not only as behavioral opportunities on the timescale of the individual, but also as “selection pressures” that shape the evolution of species. On this view, affordances provide enduring struc- ture across generations and evolutionary time, guiding the development of species’ abilities and forms of life. This gives affordances an even stronger objectivity and explana- tory role.”
- Reed, E. S. (1996). Encountering the World: Toward an Ecological Psychology. Oxford University Press.
Thanks for the quote Dwight. I like this part: "Not only as behavioral opportunities on the timescale of the individual, but also as “selection pressures” that shape the evolution of species." Perhaps the selection pressure which causes adaptation on the evolutionary timescale is analogous to the physical challenge that cases fitness adaptation on the individual timescale. And the removal of those pressures causes an evolutionary mismatch.
Really good historical perspective. Is it worth considering how different environments also shaped movement? In addition I would add skipping and even prancing into the locomotion section. These may have been acquired as intermediate pattern between walking and jogging and through observation of how other animals move.
Hi Todd, a dimension of movement capacity I've been aware of lately relates to expression (gesturing, caressing, dancing). I'm curious where it fits into these worlds.
In my own shoulder rehab, I've been playing around with the idea that regaining a "normal" feeling limb isn't just about range of motion or strength to push/pull/grip. There's a sense that it's not at full capacity until I can use it to articulate feelings. I discovered this at a dance class where I was able to play with all kinds of strange angles and wild gestures, not for practical "tool" purposes, but for aimless expression. It was like the shoulder-map in my brain wasn't fully re-engaged till I added this to the movement diet.
Hi Elspeth, Thanks for the comment. I like the word dimension. If movement is expressive, maybe we could say it's about the social/emotional dimension of movement. Reminds me that I was considering including dance as one of the primal movements. It's found in all cultures as far as I know, and seems related to social/emotional/expressive functions. Humans are very social creatures and instinctively alter their body language to fit into social norms. This is good for social functioning but maybe a bit oppressive for the body. Maybe dance is a way to get social permission to let the body move as it wants to. At the same time, dance can be a way of showing off to others about how fit and functional your body is. Very interesting topic you have got me thinking!
I am reminded of some old posts (very old!) on ideomotor movements that you may find interesting. The idea is that ideomotor movements result from mental activity, but are independent of conscious volition. https://www.bettermovement.org/blog/2011/can-ideomotion-treat-chronic-pain-part-one
Awesome, I was reading Barrett Dorko's on ideomotor movements years ago and was totally fascinated and then forgot to circle back. Thanks for pointing me towards your article.
I think facial expression is in this aspect too. Regarding fitting the body into social norms, it's especially limiting in our culture which doesn't make much space for myth and art and non-linearity. When I started dancing again after a few years, I realised how many movements I'd starved myself of in day to day life, even as a pretty physical person.
Facial expression for sure. Sometimes after a party my face might feel stiff! Another thing that made me stiff were ideas about the "right" way to move. I think one of the reason that dancers find improvisational expressive movement in dance freeing is that it helps to cure the stiffness that comes from dancing the "right" way.
What a pleasure to discover the book chapters bu chapters, the categorization is so clear and clever,
This quest to the healthy movement is very exciting
What about swimming? Water world
That is an excellent question! There is no doubt that humans enjoy the water, can find a lot of valuable resources there, and seem to have some adaptations for the water as well. I considered writing about the "aquatic ape" hypothesis, which argues that human vertical posture is an adaptation to wading in water as a way to forage for food. It's an interesting idea, and it may be true, but it is definitely a minority opinion, and I don't think there is strong evidence that humans spent millions of years getting adapted in this environment. So I think swimming and moving through water is very healthy and a somewhat natural thing, but I'm not sure these movements should qualify as being primal or essential. Maybe they would make the cut if the book was longer!
Re: “Tool World” :
The book “Body Has a Mind of its Own" by Sandra Blakeslee brings the primary theory iof Moshe Feldenkrais (We move in accordance with our self-image) into the world of current neuroscience research:
The book affords a look into the brain and its workings based on
current research in neuroscience. Our brains creates several maps, mostly in the parietal
lobes,mostly of the body but also of the space around the body - it will change the
maps to include any tool that is being used, for example, a cane used by a blind person
to navigate along a street ,a golf club used by a golfer, skis and ski poles, etc . The kinesthetic/motor map stretches out to include the cane of the blind person, spreads over the visual cortex, and enables the person to"see" the sidewalk through their body.
The brain turns on as soon as it forms embryologically, starts to function even
as it still grows, and does not ever turn off until the moment we die. Developmentally,
first there is movement, then through feedback from the movement and subsequent encounters with the environment, the brain refines its maps of space and how the body fits into
them.
I think this one of the primary processes that is inherent in the Feldenkrais Method of Neuromuscular Education -A continual refining of these maps (the self-image) through precise, directional touch and movement of the body through space that affect orientation abilities.
Here's an excerpt from the book:
"Stand up and reach out your arms, fingers extended. Wave them up, down, and
sideways. Make great big circles from over your head down past your thighs. Swing each leg
out as far as you can, and with the tips of your toes trace arcs on the ground around
you. Swivel and tilt your head as if you were craning out y our neck to butt something with
your forehead or touch it with your lips and tongue. This invisible volume of space
around your body out to arm's length—what neuroscientists call peripersonal space—is part of
you.
This is not a metaphor, but a recently discovered physiological fact. Through a
special mapping procedure, your brain annexes this space to your limbs and body,
clothing you in it like an extended, ghostly skin. The maps that encode your physical body are
connected directly, immediately, personally to a map of every point in that space and also
map out your potential to perform actions in that space. Your self does not end where
your flesh ends, but suffuses and blends with the world, including other beings. Thus when
you ride a horse with confidence and skill, your body maps and the horse's body maps are
blended in shared space. When you make love, your body maps and your lover's body maps
commingle in mutual passion.
Your brain also faithfully maps the space beyond your body when you enter it
using tools. Take hold of a long stick and tap it on the ground. As far as your brain is
concerned, your hand now extends to the tip of that stick. Its length has been annexed to your
personal space. If you were blind, you could feel your way down the street using that
stick.
The idea that your brain maps chart not only your body but the space around your
body, that these maps expand and contract to include every-day objects, and even that
these maps can be shaped by the culture you grow up in, is very new to science.
Research now shows that your brain is teeming with body maps—maps of your body's surface, its
musculature, its intentions, its potential for action, even a map that
automatically tracks and emulates the actions and intentions of other people around you.
These body-centered maps are profoundly plastic—capable of significant
reorganization in response to damage, experience, or practice. Formed early in life, they
mature with experience and then continue to change, albeit less rapidly, for the rest of
your life. Yet despite how central these body maps are to your being, you are only glancingly
aware of your own embodiment most of the time, let alone the fact that its parameters are
constantly changing and adapting, minute by minute and year after year. You may
not truly appreciate the immense amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of
your conscious mind that makes the experience of embodiment seem so natural. The
constant activity of your body maps is so seamless, so automatic, so fluid and ingrained,
that you don't even recognize it is happening, much less that it poses an absorbing
scientific puzzle that is spawning fascinating insights into human nature, health,
learning, our evolutionary past, and our cybernetically enhanced future."
This sounds a lot like what Michael Graziano talks about with Peripersonal space in “The Spaces between us”. Cool stuff
"Tree World is not well-represented in modern gyms, but it was not always this way. Check out this pic of an old-timey gymnasium, which offers numerous affordances for climbing movements.”
Shout out to JJ Gibson and Edward Reed’s Resource Theory of Affordances and Action Systems:
"Resource Theory of Affordances
The resource theory, suggested by Edward Reed (1996), aligns with Gibson’s emphasis on affordances as objective environmental properties. It sees affordances as real, ob- jective “resources” in the environment that aid the goals of organisms, existing independently of any individual’s per- ception or action.
Reed further extends the independence of affordances from individual animals, arguing that they act not only as behavioral opportunities on the timescale of the individual, but also as “selection pressures” that shape the evolution of species. On this view, affordances provide enduring struc- ture across generations and evolutionary time, guiding the development of species’ abilities and forms of life. This gives affordances an even stronger objectivity and explana- tory role.”
- Reed, E. S. (1996). Encountering the World: Toward an Ecological Psychology. Oxford University Press.
Thanks for the quote Dwight. I like this part: "Not only as behavioral opportunities on the timescale of the individual, but also as “selection pressures” that shape the evolution of species." Perhaps the selection pressure which causes adaptation on the evolutionary timescale is analogous to the physical challenge that cases fitness adaptation on the individual timescale. And the removal of those pressures causes an evolutionary mismatch.
Really good historical perspective. Is it worth considering how different environments also shaped movement? In addition I would add skipping and even prancing into the locomotion section. These may have been acquired as intermediate pattern between walking and jogging and through observation of how other animals move.
Thanks Nick, Those are good suggestions. I do plan to discus skipping at some point. In doing so I will be referencing the interesting fact that skipping is apparently a more efficient way to get around than walking in a low gravity environment. https://improbable.com/2018/03/22/skipping-on-the-moon-fun-maybe-but-is-it-efficient/